Sensory Characterization of Wines Fermented with Several Malo-Lactic Strains of Bacteria

Malo-lactic fermentation was induced in separate lots of wine by inoculation of each lot with 1 of 6 different lactic acid bacteria isolated from California wines. The bacteria were of several genera and were biochemically diverse. Grapes of low varietal character were used so as not to obscure any flavor differences imparted to the wines by the bacteria. Malo-lactic fermentation had occurred in each inoculated wine within about 2 months. The resultant wines were subjected to sensory evaluation by an experienced wine-tasting panel. Four of the 10 members of the panel were able to distinguish consistently the malo-lactic wines one from another, but half of the panel members were also able to detect differences in the control wines.