Chr. Hansen launches Citrate Negative wine culture

Wine makers can now enjoy the benefits of malolactic fermentation without the typical buttery/creamy flavor traditionally linked to this production step.

With Chr. Hansen’s new Viniflora® CiNe wine culture innovative wine producers now have the opportunity to make new types of wines (white, rosé or red), differentiate existing products and bring fruitiness to its highest level.

Natural, innovative culture to get the most of grapes

“Viniflora® CiNe represents the first time a direct inoculation strain is presented to winemakers to achieve malolactic fermentation WITHOUT any buttery/ creamy flavor traditionally linked to this fermentation,” explains Laurent Hubert, Marketing Director, Wine Industry, Chr. Hansen.

‘With Viniflora® CiNe we offer, as the first wine culture supplier, all the benefits of a malolactic fermentation, such as stability and softness, while keeping the fruitiness coming from the grapes and the alcoholic fermentation. In this way any flavor masking effects of a classical malolactic fermentation are not present anymore. The result is a rounder and softer palate and here we answer the need of wine producers making ‘grape varieties wines’ and sparkling wines” adds Hubert.

Direct inoculation for convenience

The flavor impact is not the only benefit offered by the new product. Direct inoculation for convenience, low cost-in-use and absence of biogenic amines during the fermentation are other advantages offered by CiNe - and any other culture from Chr. Hansen’s Viniflora® range.

More opportunities to create new styles

While consumers will enjoy still or sparkling wines that have been through a malolactic fermentation without impact on the fruitiness, wine producer will benefit from the competitive edge that Viniflora® CiNe can give them.

“Faced with increased competition due to the economic downturn a solution like Viniflora® CiNe is an excellent tool to create differentiation. All around the world lots of customers want to try it and once done they get ideas for new wines to produce.

The feedback from winemakers and marketing managers that have already tried it is that consumers love the wines produced with it. Bringing the fruitiness of the grapes to its optimum level, fruity sparkling, easy-to-drink reds or rosé and ‘new age’ whites really benefit from CiNe,” concludes Chr. Hansen’s wine specialist.

Meets global trend for natural

In addition the new culture meets the global trend for natural products and closer- to-nature production processes.

Demanding wineries are looking to achieve better and safer wines using natural solutions such as wine cultures at the best cost-in-use compared to spontaneous fermentations and bulk starters using several steps of acclimatization, and Viniflora® CiNe caters to that need.

Fact box

Winemakers now have a larger tool box to produce their wines: in Chr. Hansen’s current range of Viniflora® products we have 4 different strains producing classical flavours (with different features such as high alcohol conditions, high acidity, etc.) CiNe is the fifth strain and the first one not producing diacetyl. It extends the options winemakers haveto produce safe, fresh and fruity wines.

Learn more about Viniflora CiNe and Viniflora, visit: www.chr-hansen.com/wine