Autolytic capacity and foam analysis as additional criteria for the selection of yeast strains for sparkling wine production Original Research Article

This study proposes a selection methodology for secondary fermentation yeast strains for the production of sparkling wines. It began with 34 different yeast strains, mainly of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae species. The selection methodology was divided into four consecutive stages: (1) a study of the fermenting capacity of the strains under secondary fermentation conditions; (2) analysis of the most important enological characteristics of the strains; (3) a study of the autolytic capacity of the yeast; and (4) analysis of the foaming properties of the autolysates obtained. Following this methodology, three strains were selected, with which three sparkling wines were produced by the Champenoise method. Industrial sparkling wines were also produced with the commercial strain EC-1118, used as a control in this study, and with strain J, from the collection of the winery where the sparkling wines were prepared. The wines thus obtained were aged for 12 months in presence of the yeast. The findings of the sensory analysis indicated that all of the sparkling wines were good quality.