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Winemaking

Lallemand hand in hand with the winemaking world

By Wednesday 21 August 2019April 14th, 2021No Comments

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Since 1977, Lallemand has been part of the winemaking world, a specialist in the selection, development and production of innovative biological solutions from the natural microbial biodiversity found in the winemaking terroirs of the world.

Founded in Montreal at the end of the 19th century, Lallemand is a family business, the third generation of the Chagnon family, specialising in development, production and marketing of yeast and bacteria and their derivatives in the agri-food business.

Since its beginning, the company is supported by women and men who are passionate about science and microbiology. Through their expertise in yeast and bacteria production, their constant investment in research, and their strength in innovation, they have become a reference player in the field of fermentation.

Lallemand has specialised worldwide production plants, with experts dedicated to the production of yeast, bacteria and yeast derivatives. All are non-GMO, non-animal and non-allergenic, and production meets the requirements of the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine).

By exploring the world of microbial biodiversity from grapes, wines and different terroirs (Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces, Oenococcus and non-Oenococcus), Lallemand have selected a range of natural non-GMO micro-organisms whose properties impart a beneficial effect during the different winemaking stages. Their microorganisms are also used beyond the classic fermentations; for example in bio-control and bio-protection of grapes and wine to limit the development of undesirable microorganisms, to reduce the use of sulphites, to avoid the development of undesirable aromatic compounds and to preserve the wine from oxidation during ageing.

Lallemand offers a wide range of solutions, from the beginning of the vinification process from the vine through to the bottle. These include vineyard applications, wine yeast for pre-alcoholic and alcoholic fermentation along with their nutrients, specific inactivated yeast for pre and post fermentation steps, and bacteria for malolactic fermentation.

The Oenology R&D team with 200 people, has one group based in Montréal (Canada) which focuses on process optimisation and yeast fundamentals, and a second group based in Toulouse (France) which is involved in applied research and characterisation of their microorganisms under different winemaking conditions.

From the onset, Lallemand has worked in collaboration with renowned worldwide research institutes and universities to explore the world of wine microorganisms. Lallemand, as a group, has close to 100 different partnerships with universities and institutes. Several patents and innovations awards have resulted from these collaborative studies; for example novel wine yeast Lalvin ICV OKAY™ and IONYS™ are the result of collaborative research.

All Lallemand winemaking products are built on a foundation of extensive research and with technical support aimed to assist the winemaker to produce the best quality wine. For example, in collaboration with ICV (France) a research project has demonstrated how ML bacteria with MLF can be used to control the development of Brettanomyces.

More recently they have undertaken a collaborative industry-wide approach to develop a beneficial product for the wine industry – they have partnered with wineries, importers and bottlers to trial inactivated yeast Pure-Lees Longevity™ – as a means to replace or reduce the use of SO2 and protect the wine from oxidation during bulk transport.

Lallemand Australia works closely with Australian universities and research institutes, investing in wine research and the future of the Australian wine industry. They are an active partner in the ARC Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production, support PhD students at the University of Adelaide, and utilise the experimental winery at Charles Sturt University to trial new innovative yeast and bacterial products under Australian winemaking conditions. Last yeast they commercialised a robust Australian malolactic wine bacteria that was isolated and characterised by the AWRI microbiology group, which is now available to winemakers under the name AWRI YV Select™.

 

 

 

 

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