Novozymes

[Brad Ballinger]

Credit to eGullet memeber battleofthebulge for this link about Novozymes and their efforts to produce enzymes to make wine redder, smoother, rounder, fruitier, more appealing to consumers.

I continue to be amazed by the amount of science, research, and money being devoted to "perfecting" wine.

Moderator note: The link was first posted in the mega-thread on Robert Parker. I decided to create a separate topic here.

[jsolomon]

As long as I continue to pay as much, if not more, for servings of wine than I do for many of the vaccinations I have received, I won't be terribly surprised.

Of course, I work with a pharmaceutical/molecular biology/genetic engineering research group, so the usage of characterized enzymes doesn't surprise me too much. I will be curious to find out when there are more genetically engineered yeasts going to produce the wines--e.g. inserting the sequence for this extraction enzyme into the yeast to reduce the cost of purchasing the enzyme, since it would be made in situ.

But, from my point of view, it does follow from our scientific thrust in the industrial food production societies we are in.

It saddens me, because I like more romance and less marketing in my wine, but that is probably a marketed group-think inserted into my brain by mind-controlling orbital lasers, too.

[docsconz]

As long as I continue to pay as much, if not more, for servings of wine than I do for many of the vaccinations I have received, I won't be terribly surprised.

Of course, I work with a pharmaceutical/molecular biology/genetic engineering research group, so the usage of characterized enzymes doesn't surprise me too much.  I will be curious to find out when there are more genetically engineered yeasts going to produce the wines--e.g. inserting the sequence for this extraction enzyme into the yeast to reduce the cost of purchasing the enzyme, since it would be made in situ.

But, from my point of view, it does follow from our scientific thrust in the industrial food production societies we are in.

It saddens me, because I like more romance and less marketing in my wine, but that is probably a marketed group-think inserted into my brain by mind-controlling orbital lasers, too.

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You said it all!

[Rebel Rose]

I'm not at all familiar with Novozyme, but I would like to caution against assuming that any use of enzymes in winemaking is bad.

For instance, we use a product called Lallezyme, which is a natural product extracted from egg whites. It is used to prevent premature activity from unwanted and uninvited malolactic bacteria. It is gentler than SO2, which tends to pretty much kill everything and bleach the wine, to boot. It's action is specific to ML bacteria, and the more tannic a wine is, the greater the preventative activity. It drops out quickly, allowing us to finish primary fermentation cleanly and control the amount and timing of ML fermentation. We don't use it on every wine; we just keep a resealable bag in the fridge in case the cellar gets crowded (which, duh, happens every harvest) and we don't want certain wines, notably whites, to take off on ML until we're ready.

Reading a yeast catalog can be like a reading a menu. Some yeasts bring out floral aromas in reds, some, like Assmanhausen, extract spicy overtones, some soften the skins more, creating darker pigments. A winemaker can also sprinkle his raw must with a yeast nutrient made from yeast hulls--very high in B vitamins, it gives yeast a delicious and healthy start in their (short) life. But these are not "additions;" they are a natural and carefully chosen part of the winemaking process, like a chef carefully choosing herbs and spices to accentuate food.

There are wineries that use artificial enhancements--powdered oak, liquid tannins, and that kind of thing. As Sarah pointed out, it's just not cricket. I've even seen 20# bags of C&H sugar in some wineries--totally illegal. I guess you just have to learn to trust a wine producer, the same way one would come to trust a chef.

[battleofthebulge]

I'm not at all familiar with Novozyme, but I would like to caution against assuming that any use of enzymes in winemaking is bad.

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Hi Mary,

I agree that consumers need to understand the difference between enzymes which are ordinarily used to produce wine (I'm not a scientist but I'd consider yeasts to be a type of enzyme) and those which have been specifically marketed to "make wine consumers prefer".

Or, playing devil's advocate, are we just being sniffy in denying yer average Jo/Joe the opportunity to start out in wine by trying an inoffensive, very fruity, slightly sweet, cheap Cabernet?

Maybe we should lobby for labelling which will show whether or not additional enzymes have been used, rather like food additives, so we can at least make a choice.

Sarah