Another magic trick from Mother Nature.
This is something that almost all red wines and some white wines go through and only few people know about.
After the alcoholic fermentation a whole other fermentation starts. Usually this happens naturally if we let the wines rest at room temperature – or cellar temperature. It's Mallorca in autumn and not really cold.
This is getting a bit nerdy now. A fabulous strain of lactic acid bacteria called Oenococcus oeni and various species of Lactobacillus and Pediococcus simply transform the harder tasting malic acid (malic as in apple) in our wines into a softer and more creamy tasting lactic acid (lactic as in milk products). Et voila!
In case we want to avoid this and preserve that extra vibrant acidity in our whites, we simply cool them down and give them a shot of sulfur dioxide to prevent the bacteria from having a say.
Malolactic fermentation (or simply "malo")
Then comes the malolactic fermentation. This is a beautiful love affair between the wine and some friendly lactic bacteria that produce an enzyme that changes the harsh, malic acidy into a softer lactic acidity and thus makes the wines taste smoother and rounder. This is done in the steel tanks at Binivista for two reasons. One is that we much easier can control the temperature in the steel tanks rather than in oak barrels often used for the malo. (The friendly bacterias needs cozy warm surroundings to thrive).
Secondly; the steel vats are also much easier to clean. This is super important, as we need to be 100% sure the bacteria is gone before using the same tank for new freshly pressed juice the next harvest. We do the malolactic fermentation for all wines, except our fresh and vibrant whites that we wish to maintain as much nerve as possible.
