Researchers continue to search for suitable yeasts that produce lower alcohol. Such yeast has already been identified, but a side effect is higher levels of glycerol in the wine, which is not always desirable.
L’Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin (IFV), a research institute, says that a non-Saccharomyces yeast, Kluyveromyces thermotolerance, can give both lower alcohol and lower pH (higher acidity), another significant advantage. And instead of glycerol, the yeast produces lactic acid. Experiments show that alcohol can be 1% lower with Kluyveromyces thermotolerance and that the pH can be reduced by 0.3 points.
Research on lower alcohol content is not only conducted inside the laboratory. Also, the way you work in the vineyard affects the result and can lower the alcohol contents. It has to do with e.g. when you do the pruning, how you manage the canopy etc. By combining the work in the vineyard and the cellar, the researchers hope to achieve a 2% reduction of alcohol without changing the taste profiles and yields.
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