Need help selecting malolactic bacteria that is right for your wine?
The right bacteria for your wine depends heavily on your wine conditions. The most important parameters are:
pH- Total SO2
- Alcohol
- Temperature of wine undergoing MLF
Extremes in one or more of these properties can have a compounding inhibitory effect on the ability of malolactic bacteria to consume malic acid. For example, if a wine has low pH and high SO2, that will be more antagonistic to the bacteria than low pH alone.
Beyond wine conditions, bacteria should be selected based on the intended sensory impact! Just like yeast, malolactic bacteria display a broad range of metabolic processes that impact a wine’s sensory profile and can be used to drive wine style. Wine flavors of fruity, spicy, toasty, nutty and buttery can be enhanced or diminished depending on the ML strain.
Scott Labs has several resources on our website to help you choose the best bacteria for your wine!
Bacteria Product Pages
Check out our ML bacteria product pages to review the bacteria's wine condition tolerances (pH, etc.) and their sensory impact to determine what strain is right for your wine.
Choosing Guide
Our ML Bacteria and Nutrient Choosing Guide helps you compare and select Scott Labs malolactic bacteria and nutrients. This guide contains a downloadable pdf choosing chart with information on each bacteria strain and nutrient offered.