Do you like your Chardonnay on the buttery side? Well, here’s a little trivia for you: The substance that makes microwave popcorn buttery is the same thing that makes your Chardonnay buttery. It’s called diacetyl.
But, while the popcorn factories need to add the diacetyl, winemakers can use a special technique called malolactic fermentation. Sometimes it’s called the second fermentation because normally the winemaker will hold off on this technique until the alcoholic fermentation is done.
Here’s how it goes:
It takes the winemaker 3 weeks or so to make a barrel of Chardonnay. Then he adds lactic acid bacteria to the wine, which sets off the malolactic fermentation. Actually, it’s a conversion and we call it ML for short. Continue reading
The Tasting Group 