Some people don’t correlate the relationship between sugar, yeast and alcohol.
In Australia the only legal permissable use of cane sugar in wine is for “dosage” in Methode Champenoise or Sparkling Wines. (This is one reason Sparkling Wines have more calories ladies…). Thus, the only legal way (in Australia) to get sugar in your fruit (grapes) is to make sure they ripen – natural sugars are glucose and fructose.
We are allowed to add alternate means of acid and tannin as well as preservative. This is a good thing:
Consider some other kind of fruit growing in your back yard. If you picked a tomato when it was green, there is a higher amount of acid than there is sugar. The longer you leave it on the vine, the more this balance sways the opposite way – less acid to higher sugar.
Same thing goes for grape vines, we need more sugar in our grapes than acid for the average wine. Keeping in mind this is natural sugars that build up through photosynthesis in the grape vine. (Sunlight + leaves = ripe fruit) But if we harvest too ripe, we can then back up the balance with extra acid/ tannin. If we harvest too early its going to taste tart and acidic and will probably have to be used for Sparkling Wines.
Why is all this important? What I am about to demonstrate is a science lesson.
In order to make wine, we use the basic principal called fermentation. Fermentation works like this:
Sugar +Yeast = Carbon dioxide + Alcohol
Yeast can naturally be found on the skin of the grape, so traditionally none needs to be added. However, as later described, “super” yeasts have been grown in order to be more resistant as well as consistent. Yeast will also affect the flavour.
Yeast is a living thing. Consider this: “Yeast Man”
“Yeast Man” eats sugar, and through this process, Alcohol and Carbon Dioxide are released. This is why wine is alcoholic, and also why Champagne has bubbles. (More on this another day).
But “Yeast Man’s” Kryptonite is: eating and shitting in the same place. Hes a greedy little bugger and creates a sort of toxicity that even he can’t survive. Yeasts will keep going through this fermentation process until:
- He runs out of sugar
- The temperature gets too high and he dies
- The temperature gets too low and he goes to sleep
- Too much alcohol takes over in the early stages of the wine and he drowns in his own piss
The amount of sugar in the fruit will depend on the amount of alcohol in the wine – unless the yeast is killed and residual sugar is left over. This often produces a fruity or sweet wine.
Some yeasts are more resistant than others but on the most part – too much alcohol or the wrong temperature will kill a normal yeast. This is when “Yeast Man” gets a makeover and they reinvent him as a da da da da…. SUPER YEAST MAN!
Super Yeast Man laughs in the face of danger. (Well not really, but they can build yeasts that don’t die so easily).
But it has not been identified whether Super Yeast Man’s Clark Kent is named Brett (after Brettanomyces) or Lee (as Lees is the name given to dead yeast cells).
So now you understand (or are even more confused than before) about Yeast and Fermentation, take a moment to consider all the living yeast cells that had to die for your glass of wine. Casualties of consumption.
Cheers!
Very nice article, thanks! I’ve subscribed to your RSS feed. Please keep up posting.
Hey Rhiannon,
I love reading your blog – I always learn something, and am reminded that as much as I passionately love wine and the consumption of it, I actually know very little about it.
Have you ever thought about conducting wine appreciation classes? I’m trying to find a good one because it’s something that I’m interested in learning more about – I reckon you’d be a natural!
Gen
Hi Rhiannon, Am just helping my father in law in setting up a blog for his boutique winery in the Hunter Valley. Any tips or ideas you could share?
Always worth visiting your blog and impressive content all round.
Thanks! Does he have any other social networking set up for the business? Facebook or twitter? As these processes compliment each other and direct hits to your blog (for SEO, links make a website more attractive to google)… Will you be using the blog as the website itself? Or simply for link-back to another website?
You would also need to consider the organisational culture as to the style and content. Keep in mind if its fun and vibrant in cellar door- keep it fun and novelty online. If the blog is fun and interesting and your cellar door is more sterile and serious, people will be deterred. All branding – whether online, onsite or at trade shows, needs to be consistent and this is where most wineries miss the mark. I had some terrible experiences with paid models behind the bars at Good Food and Wine Show recently – at cellar doors where I normally have a great experience. Everyone’s got a decent product at the same price point – you need to make delivery and service unique, generating loyalty whether online or offline – both arenas nowadays are set up for commerce as everyone has a smart phone.
Finally, (and I’m guilty of this), a blog needs to be dynamic. Websites with new information all the time are better for SEO, and its gives a reason for someone to log in and view your content. Keep looking at your hits and learn from this. What are they clicking on? When are they clicking on it? What got the most clicks? Where are they coming from ? This is free market research and will tell you what you’re doing right or wrong.
If you want more info or consultation on the logistics, feel free to email me.
pookiemonster@gmail.com
Keep up the good work, I like your writing.
[...] are dead yeast cells left over from Fermentation. This is just the norm. Think back to the death of yeast man. This happens in wine too- but no one likes “floaties” in their champagne, chardy or [...]