RESOLUTION OIV-OENO 531-2015

MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION ACTIVATORS

The General Assembly, 

CONSIDERING Article 2, paragraph 2 IV of the Agreement of 3 April 2001 establishing the International Organisation of Vine and Wine,

CONSIDERING that the use of malolactic fermentation activators may significantly facilitate it by improving the nutrient composition in wine and/or by detoxifying wine through the adsorption of inhibitor compounds (medium-chain fatty acids...),

CONSIDERING that the duration of malolactic fermentation has an impact on the sensory profile of wine,

CONSIDERING that slow or delayed malolactic fermentations can lead to an increase in oxidation characteristics,

DECIDES, following a proposal made by Commission II “Oenology”, to introduce the following oenological practices and treatments into part II, chapter 3 of the International Code of Oenological Practices:

Part II

Chapter 3: WINES

Treatment with malolactic fermentation activators

Definition:

Addition of malolactic fermentation activators at the end or after the alcoholic fermentation to facilitate malolactic fermentation.

Objective:

Promote the initiation, kinetics or completion of malolactic fermentation:

• by enriching the environment with nutrients and growth factors for acid lactic bacterias,
• by the adsorption of some bacteria inhibitors.

Prescriptions:

1. Activators are microcrystalline cellulose or products derived from the degradation of yeasts (autolysates, inactivated yeasts, yeast walls);
2. activators can be added to wine or fermenting wine before or during malolactic fermentation;
3. the activators do not have to induce to organoleptic deviations in wine
4. Malolactic fermentation activators must comply with the prescriptions contained in the International Oenological Codex.

Note:

The use of malolactic fermentation activators might foster the growth of undesirable microorganisms with the production of undesirable compounds.

OIV recommendation:

Accepted.