The Influence of Malolactic Strain on the Fermentation on Wine Quality of Three Eastern Red Wine Grape Cultivars

Abstract

Malolactic fermentation was induced in red wine musts of the grape cultivars Marechal Foch, deChaunac and Chancellor by using the <i>Leuconostoc oenos</i> strains ML-34, PSU-1 and LS-5A. The total acidity of the wines subjected to the malolactic fermentation was lower and the pH slightly higher than in the control wines. Among the 12 nonvolatile acids quantitatively determined, malic acid practically disappeared in the wines which had undergone malolactic fermentation, while an equivalent amount of lactic acid appeared. ML-34 was the slowest among the three bacterial strains in completing this fermentation, while the cultivar Chancellor was the easiest to be fermented by all malolactic strains. Malolactic strains also influenced sensory ranking of the wines. LS-5A and PSU-1 treated wines were generally ranked superior to ML-34 or control treated wines.