I will be hosting a Champagne trade tasting later this week and am wondering about native yeast fermentation. For winemakers in other regions, native yeast fermentation is like a badge of honor and many brag about it. I don’t hear much about it from Champagne producers. Of the wines I will be showing only Roger Coulon mentions it on his website. Any thoughts on this?
While I can’t provide much information, I can say that Roederer has an interesting take on it. They inoculate, but they inoculate using native yeasts. Each year they let a batch of grapes go through a fermentation with local yeasts and if they like they results they do dna typing on the yeasts and add them to the yeasts that they might use for their fermentation.
I see Benoit Lahaye uses native yeast fermentation.
Thanks, Jay. I presume native yeast could only be used for primary fermentation.
I’ve never heard of native yeast being used for secondary fermentation. I’m not sure how that would work on a practical level since the bottles are closed with crown caps. My understanding is that special “low foaming” yeasts are preferred here too.
You need special yeasts for the second fermentation.
They should be able to work “under pressure”…
I know that so-called Champagne yeasts are used for brewing beer, mead and cider–as well as wine.
I’ve never heard of anyone doing this in Champagne but Tissot makes a cuvée of Crémant du Jura with native yeasts for the secondary fermentation. The yeasts are gathered in winter from the still fermenting Vin de Paille that they produce (presumably in wine with unfermented sugar, don’t know for sure) which I suppose makes it a pet-nat. I’ve had it side by side with their regular crémant cuvée, about the same price and I actually prefer the one made with cultured yeasts fwiw.
Those are interesting wines, Steve. I prefer the Indigene, the non-cultured yeast one, but it is a little funky. I believe what they’re doing is using some still-fermenting Vin de Paille for its yeast and sugar to kick off the second fermentation, so no added yeast or non-grape sugar. It’s the only sparkling wine I know of that’s done that way.
Oh, by the way, I sell the stuff when I can, but it’s out of stock most of the time anyway, so it really doesn’t matter.
Hey Doug, I actually like the wine a lot and I don’t mind that bit of funk, it’s even a bit more complex to me than the other, but I really like the brightness and cut of the standard cuvée. I sell both when I can get them and do better with the Indigène actually.
John:
When I was last in Champagne (probably 6 or 7 years ago) the only producer I could find using wild yeast ferms for both primary and secondary ferms was Jacques Beaufort at Domaines Andre Beaufort. Most of the usual suspects–the artisanal grower/makers dear to the natural wine crowd-- were doing wild yeast ferms for the primary ferm, but innoculating for the secondary. They were all trying to get away from added yeasts for the secondary ferm, and were experiencing hit-and-miss results with trial lots. I wouldn’t be surprised if one or two had succeeded by now, using wild yeasts for the secondary as well. There are some rumors to that effect, but it’s all second-hand and nothing I’ve verified myself.
An interesting conversation with Prevost on Levi Dalton’s I’ll Drink to That touched on the subject. Good listen for Bubbleheads.
Thanks for a great topic, I hadn’t thought of it before!
I’m so dull on this subject, I thought Champagne Native Yeast Fermentation was a song lyric!
Native yeasts for the first fermentation is something lots of folks do. Second fermentation native yeasts are much more rare, but a number of folks have been experimenting here as well. The example most have probably heard of is Agrapart’s Experience which was first publicly released with the 2007 vintage.
As mentioned above, Roederer probably has the best knowledge on native yeasts for the 1st and 2nd fermentation. They have done a number of studies over the years to have an understanding of what will and won’t work and what is optimal. One of the biggest problems in Champagne with first fermentation native yeast users is that the native yeast isn’t actually the main yeast doing the work. Often, the main working yeast is some other strain that is native to the cellar, but if you don’t test for this, you never know and keep on believing that you are using your native yeast.
As for the second fermentation, native yeasts can present a problem because you are in a much more closed environment with the second fermentation so other yeasts that might be hanging around the cellar are not going to get the same chance to pitch in and help. You can really screw up the wine by taking the chance with a native yeast at this stage. You may not get the sparkle/pressure you are looking for and you could be left with a decent amount of residual sugar. You can also be left with 1,000s of worthless bottles that can spell disaster for a producer.
If you are going to play with native yeasts for the 1st or 2nd or fermentation, you really should study what you are doing and not just jump into things wildly. Roederer has invested a lot into this. Agrapart also paid his dues trying things over many years. At the end of the day, the results can be cool and interesting, but are not always better. That said, I expect we will continue to see more and more producers look at using native yeasts and their own grape musts for fermentations and dosage.
*Edited for incorrect spelling
Thanks Brad, Bruce, Steve, Doug, et al. I think I can do a better job of discussing this at my tasting Thursday.
Anton, Champagne Native Yeast Fermentation was a cult hit for Sir Lee and the Riddlers IIRC.
Sir Lee? You jest!
Jay, that was actually the name of an early version of Bob Foley’s band in Napa.