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WINEMAKING ies now keep it down to something more like 20 ppm. Scott also notes the increased use of lysozyme at the crusher, which knocks back lactic acid bacteria, reducing the need for SO2 approach to winemaking will become mainstream, just as restau- rants that only serve raw food will never replace steak houses. In the mainstream, large numbers of winemakers are finding ways to use less sulfur (or no more than they absolutely have to.) Zack Scott observes, for example, that while the standard addition at the crusher used to be 50 parts per million (ppm) of SO2 , lots of winer- and putting malolactic fermentation on hold for a while, improving opportuni- ties for early color binding. The quality of lab work has improved at many wineries, making sulfur additions evidence-based, not simply routine-based. This voluntary self-restraint is probably the biggest news in the world of sulfur dioxide alternatives: just use less. Scott Labs also does a brisk business selling Velcorin, the trade name for dimethyldicarbonate (DMDC), a very effective anti-mi- crobial agent that is entirely legal, highly toxic if mishandled and rarely discussed in public. Its main use is at bottling time, when it offers insurance against, among other things, a Brett bloom in the bottle; using Velcorin reduces the need for a final dosage with sulfur dioxide. While largely under the radar, Scott estimates that as many as 800 wineries in California use Velcorin from time to time. Scott also mentioned the increased use of sulfur dioxide in gran- ular or tablet form, rather than liquid or rehydrated powder. The advantage here is workplace safety: less pungent aroma, less need for masks or special ventilation or other preventive steps. This change in form does not result in less sulfur being put into wine, just in less exposure for staff in the winery. Bob Kreisher at Mavrik North America added a couple of other high-tech approaches to lowering SO2 levels. In 2011, Mavrik got Using SO2 versity of Western Australia, who suggests that exposing grape berries to gaseous SO2 O before fermentation can enhance the natural defenses built into the grapes, heightening the expres- sion of genes that have "previously been shown to be involved in pathogen defense as well as tolerance to stress such as cold or low oxygen." By implication, grapes can become more self-reliant by encountering SO2 , without needing to put the SO2 in the wine. Alternatively, and better, Considine hopes to learn more about exactly how the self-defending gene expression is triggered, in hopes of identifying some other, less toxic way to provoke it. T.P. vrik's stock in trade is crossflow separation, so they came up with the right membrane and the right way to absorb both free and to- tal SO2 tioned, leaving behind several hundred parts of total SO2. Ma- a call from a customer whose SO2 from the permeate. While doser malfunctions aren't likely to be a major business opportunity, Kreisher thinks there may be other uses, like controlling levels in export bulk wines, which can pH outside of the barrel… Innerstave Binsert*TM fermentation to your Macro and T bin fermentations without the cooperage expense. *Patent Pending rain browning volatile acidity Brettanomyces pH Botrytis stuck fermentation mold S02 astringency oxidation rot Botrytis stuck fermentation mold S02 astringency oxidation rot YOU HAVE ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT. TAKE CORK OFF THE LIST! browning volatile acidity Brettanomyces pH Botrytis stuck fermentation S02 astringency oxidation dosage regulator had malfunc- on grapes, not wine ne of the most intriguing efforts in the "use less" depart- ment of SO2 management comes from the research of Michael Considine, a plant biology researcher at the Uni- THE TRUSTED SOURCE FOR CORK SINCE 1977. The original innovator and supplier of premium oak infusion products since 1979 contact 888-996-8781 ~ sales@innerstave.com WINES & VINES AUGUST 2012 53