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[email protected] 15-05-2006 02:28 PM

MLF in a (mostly) blackberry wine
 
Hello all,

This is my first batch of wine, so I hope you'll excuse a newbie
question on MLF in non-grape wines.

I went to check on it last night and I found it undergoing malolactic
fermentation. From what I've read I knew MLF was often desirable in
certain grape-based wines, but I wasn't too sure about other
fruit-based wines, and after reading a bit from the archives of this
group, other sites on the web, and from "First Steps in Winemaking" I'm
still a little confused.

Is MLF desirable in a blackberry wine, or is it likely to ruin it? I
found a few posts indicating it was undesirable, and a few where it was
mentioned nonchalantly. "First Steps in Winemaking" seems to indicate
it's desirable, but I think it may have been in relation to grape-based
wines.

If MLF is undesirable, is additional sulfiting likely to stop it? A
few past posts suggested that once MLF starts, it's nearly impossible
to stop.

Finally, if it's undesirable, how do I prevent it in the future? From
what I've read, increasing the acid helps to inhibit MLF, but I also
read that sulfiting does too, but I did that in the suggested amounts,
and it still occurred.

Relevant (?) data: I used three pounds of blackberries, and one pound
each of strawberry and blueberry. If it makes any difference, I used
an acid blend (66% tartaric acid, 33% malic acid) in the must, so there
are other acids present beyond malic. I sulfited when I transferred it
from primary to secondary. And I've also let all the sugar ferment
out. At this point, everything seemed to be going along fine and the
wine smells no different than when I last racked it.

Thanks for any advice!



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