At what cost yeast?

T

Thor

Thor Iverson
I'm writing up another winery visit from the Piedmont junket, and am very confused about an assertion made by the winemaker. I include here two paragraphs of excerpt for the background and then the question. (Further background: the winery is in Canelli.) Any help?

It would be right to use yeasts from Piedmont, but we cant. [] I would rather use a yeast from Canelli, but I dont have the money.

I admit complete ignorance on this point, and thus open the question to those who know: is the price differential for yeast inoculants really so large that the economics of it matter to such a degree? If so, why? Simple economies of scale? Or are certain yeasts the Armani of the Saccharomyces set, while others hang out on the clearance shelves at Walmart?
 
Because the labs already have generic yeasts they've manufactured for Piedmont. They take some yeasts and replicate them for posterity. Lots of growers in Barolo, for instance, use the BR97.

They have not isolated, reproduced and created a powdered yeast they can say comes from Canelli. Not a big enough market.
 
I understand that the yeast may not exist, or may not exist in commercially viable form, but why "I don't have the money"? Do you suppose he was making the argument that he would, himself, have to pay for the yeast to be developed in order to use it? I hadn't thought of that, and he didn't say it, but that at least makes sense.

Also, regarding Piedmont-wide yeasts, he did say "we can't" use them. I suppose one of us should have asked him why not...cost or technical reasons...but that's a question I will now ask.

RC212 is what he's using, according to my notes.
 
After a quick look round tha interwebz, it seems that some yeasts are more expensive than others, but not crazy much more. I imagine if you're buying by the gross than it adds up. How much would you need anyway? 500g per barrel? Obviously I have no idea.

Also, do you think the winemaker in question was meaning that he couldn't 'afford' to use natural yeasts by way of time and money lost if it took longer than using powdered yeasts?

I think I'm going to start posting under the name Lalvin Bourgorouge. Has a nice ring to it.
 
Do you suppose he was making the argument that he would, himself, have to pay for the yeast to be developed in order to use it? I hadn't thought of that, and he didn't say it, but that at least makes sense.
Click to expand...
It's the only reasonable interpretation I can think of. I have never heard anyone in the business complain or even muse about the price of yeast.
 
I have. Well, not complain. John Williams (Frog's Leap) I think said the first year he forgot to buy yeast--went ahead made wine with out it and realized he could save a few thousand $ a year. So he never went back. I have heard this with malolactic. A winemaker who does yeast because he's too afraid (he's right near Gaja in Barbaresco) but he doesn't inoculate for malo because of the $.
 
For what it's worth, in November I asked several producers whether they use ambient or innoculated:

Piedmont_Yeasts.jpg
 
Oswaldo, you can add Brovia to the ambient category, though occasionally a stuck dolcetto has received an inoculated kick in the pants.

Kay, as a matter of fact, not far off. Is that a typical characteristic of the RC212 yeast?
 
Farmer Jones was having trouble with birds trying to nest in his horses' manes. They'd get all tangled up in the hair, and the horses would become annoyed, and it wasn't good.

Farmer Brown suggested that Farmer Jones should break up a cake of yeast and comb the crumbs into the horses' manes and that would keep the birds away.

It did.

Which proves that yeast is yeast and nest is nest and never the mane shall tweet.
 
"Give my big hearts to Maude, Dwayne. Dismember me for Harold's choir. Tell all the Foys on Sortibackenstrete that I will soon be there..."
 
Oswaldo,, don't believe everything they tell you.
Visited Mascarello in 05, was told they do not use indigenous and hadn't for years because of the bereft way they farm. Ceretto hasn't used indigenous at least since Bruno's brother retired. It's been ages. Massolino is moving in that direction and I highly doubt La Spinetta.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top