Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/629061
22 WINES&VINES February 2016 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS S an Rafael, Calif.—Lucy Joseph, a re- searcher at the University of California, Davis, has been visiting parts of Califor- nia's wine country while searching for native yeasts. Finding yeast isn't really much of a challenge—especially in places like Napa County—but Joseph is seeking "autoch- thonous yeast," or strains of Saccharo- myces that are confirmed through sequence analysis to be indigenous to the West Coast. Joseph is the yeast culture curator for the UC Davis Department of Viticulture & Enology and works in the lab of mi- crobiologist and yeast specialist Dr. Linda Bisson. So far Joseph and other members of the Bisson lab have visited five California regions including Lake County, Yuba and Nevada counties; Big Sur and San Luis Obispo in the Central Coast, Napa County and the Lodi AVA. The search so far has yielded 20 strains of Saccha- romyces as well as several other types of yeasts. The yeast come from a variety of habitats, and Joseph and the other researchers are stay- ing clear of wineries. "We have been trying to stay away from any areas that are near wineries when we are hunting wild Saccharomyces," she told Wines & Vines. "We have been to vineyards that are in isolated areas and have oak trees around them. Hardwood trees are a natural habitat for Saccharomyces, especially at wound or disease sites where sap is present." Joseph said she attempts to keep at least 5 kilometers away from any working wineries when collecting samples. "We purposely avoid areas where there may be contamination from commercial yeast sources," she said. "Staying away from wineries can be a challenge in some areas, like Napa County." UC Davis winemaking students used five of the "heritage" Saccharomyces strains identified through the research project during the 2015 harvest, and only one was able to complete fermentation. The others stalled at 11% to 12% alcohol. However, the students preferred the aromas of wines fer- mented with the selected indigenous yeasts to the aromas of wines made with commercial strains or spontaneous fermentation. Joseph plans on making more trips to Mendocino and Sonoma counties, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara. The goal is to profile the diversity of native species as well as define "a genetic sig- nature" for autochthonous Saccharomy- ces to identify truly indigenous strains. More and more winemakers these days are touting their "native" fermenta- tions. Finding strains that truly are na- tive to California and provide consistent and complete fermentations would likely have strong commercial appeal. —Andrew Adams Hunting Heritage Wine Yeasts QST offers its clients……. Professionally fabricated stainless tanks 35 years of tank fabrication experience Performance & reliability guarantees Custom designs & modern features Quick & competitive tank project pricing On site tank repairs & modifications Special application tanks of all sizes "In stock tanks" from 500 to 10,000 gallons 510 Caletti Ave. Windsor, Ca. 95492 Phone 707-837-2721 or Toll-Free 877-598-0672 www.qualitystainless.com Company Website winetanks@aol.com email contact/sales info Custom Fabricated Tanks for the perfect size & fit… or Ready to Ship "Stock Tanks" Either way QST is ready to assist our clients! Call QST today for information or pricing! QUALITY STAINLESS TANKS UC Davis winemaking students attempted to ferment grape must using autochthonous yeast collected by researcher Lucy Davis.