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Chr. Hansen Viniflora PRELUDE™
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  • Chr. Hansen Viniflora PRELUDE™
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  • Chr. Hansen Viniflora PRELUDE™
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  • Chr. Hansen Viniflora PRELUDE™

Chr. Hansen Viniflora PRELUDE™

Price from 3,20 EUR

Viniflora® PRELUDE™ for Your Exceptional White, Red, Rosé, Cider + Apple Wines

Pure non-Saccharomyces yeast of Torulaspora delbrueckii, giving wine and cider outstanding increased aromatic complexity.

Why is this yeast strain so sensational?

PRELUDE is the precise answer to meeting the demand for well-fermented, aromatically complex natural wines with body. This yeast strain gives you access to alcoholic fermentation with all the advantages of spontaneous fermentation – but without any of the risks associated with spontaneous fermentation. When using the PRELUDE™ yeast strain, you gain all the benefits of wild fermentation; more body, softer mouthfeel, broad flavour palette and high aromatic complexity, all with completely secure fermentation kinetics.

Consumers are increasingly demanding wines with minimal manipulation and natural wines offering the right flavour complexity. However, many things can go wrong in the production of aromatic, acid-balanced natural wines – and there are many unknown factors that can negatively interfere with the fermentation process, leading to off-flavours and faulty fermentations in natural wines.

The yeast strain behind PRELUDE™ has been selected from hundreds of other yeast strains based on its highly documented improvement of many different wines during tastings. Wines produced using the PRELUDE yeast strain together with Saccharomyces yeast have consistently achieved higher ratings and rankings, enabling the producer to achieve the highly sought-after differentiation of the wine – and a higher sales price.

PRELUDE is especially recommended for wines aged in oak, as there is a clear positive synergy effect between the Torulaspora delbrueckii yeast strain and wood.

Explore our exciting selection of French oak chips for both fermentation and ageing here.

PRELUDE for your wines also offers enormous potential for those producing apple wines, cider and sparkling wines.

Choose variant

PRELUDE™ from Chr. Hansen

Viniflora® Prelude™ is a pure yeast strain, Torulaspora delbrueckii, which must be used in combination with the yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 

This non-Saccharomyces yeast strain is highly sought after for its ability to  imitate a successful wild fermentation according to natural wine principles – but with PRELUDE under control. In addition, this yeast strain provides highly fruity aromas in your wine, complexity and the development of a rounded mouthfeel.

Torulaspora delbrueckii is a non-Saccharomyces specialty yeast that should be used to increase wine complexity in combination with a Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast that provides a safe and rapid alcoholic fermentation.

 

  • PRELUDE is highly recommended for wines that are fermented or aged in oak
  • PRELUDE from Chr. Hansen has an alcohol tolerance of up to 9%

 

PRELUDE™ from Chr. Hansen, Some History and Explanation

This yeast type, introduced by Chr. Hansen back in 2009, was a complete revolution for everyone involved in wine and cider production, as Chr. Hansen sensationally succeeded in isolating a pure yeast strain named Torulaspora delbrueckii, an osmotolerant yeast strain.

And what exactly is an osmotolerant yeast?
Osmotolerant yeast strains are yeast strains capable of surviving and growing in high osmotic concentrations. High sugar or salt concentrations can reduce water availability and thereby inhibit normal yeast fermentation and growth. By using the osmotolerant yeast strain Torulaspora delbrueckii, a lower concentration of volatile acidity is achieved, while the wine gains a much higher degree of aromatic complexity and promotes a natural malolactic fermentation. Finally, one of the main characteristics of this yeast strain is a higher concentration of mannoproteins, resulting in a fuller, softer wine with a very pleasant mouthfeel.
 

Viniflora® PRELUDE™

Why is this yeast strain so sensational?

Consumers increasingly demand wines with minimal manipulation and natural wines offering the right flavour complexity. However, many things can go wrong in the production of aromatic, acid-balanced natural wines – and there are many unknown factors that can negatively interfere with the fermentation process, causing off-flavours and faulty fermentations in natural wines.

 

PRELUDE is the precise answer to meeting the demand for well-fermented, aromatically complex natural wines with body. This yeast strain gives access to alcoholic fermentation with all the advantages of spontaneous fermentation – but without any of the risks of spontaneous fermentation. Both conventional and organic wine producers around the world use PRELUDE with impressive, award-winning results.

 

The yeast strain behind PRELUDE™ has been selected from hundreds of other yeast strains based on its highly documented improvement of many different wines during tastings. Wines produced using the PRELUDE yeast strain have all achieved higher ratings and rankings, allowing the producer to achieve the highly sought-after differentiation of the wine and a higher sales price.

 

When using the PRELUDE™ yeast strain, you gain all the benefits of wild fermentation; more body, softer mouthfeel, broad flavour palette and high aromatic complexity.​​​ PRELUDE has been used with both Chardonnay, Chenin, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet-Franc and is especially recommended for wines aged in oak, as there is a clear positive synergy effect between the Torulaspora yeast strain and wood.

 

PRELUDE also has enormous potential for those producing cider and sparkling wines.

How Do You Use Viniflora PRELUDE from Chr. Hansen in Your Wine?

PRELUDE can be used in two different ways for your wine/cider fermentation:

 

Simultaneous Addition, which we also call Simultaneous Inoculation, of both the PRELUDE yeast strain and a Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast to your wine

Rehydrate the two yeast strains separately and carefully follow the rehydration instructions for both yeast types. It is especially important that the temperature requirements for the water in which the yeasts are dissolved are respected. This ensures a gentle wild fermentation related to the PRELUDE™ yeast strain, alongside the alcoholic fermentation handled by the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain.

Addition of one culture at a time, which we call Sequential Inoculation . PRELUDE is initially added according to the instructions. Depending on whether you are fermenting red or white wine, the selected Saccharomyces cerevisiae is then added as follows:

  • Red wine - PRELUDE™ is added 24 hours before inoculation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae
  • White wines and Cider - PRELUDE™ is added 48 hours before inoculation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae
     

You do not need to be a chemical engineer or oenologist to master the fermentation of fantastic Danish cider and wine from your own apples or grapes using some of the finest yeast strains available on the market.

Chr. Hansen has a strong ambition to expand the knowledge and use of their fantastic orchestrated Viniflora series. Should you require further information about Viniflora® PRELUDE™ beyond what you find here on the site and in the datasheet, Chr. Hansen’s own staff offer technical support. 

 

Take the leap into maximizing and optimizing your wine.

Combine the very best from two worlds and create your own unique estate wines capable of standing proudly at the very top.

Prelude from Chr. Hansen, information, read more here

Prelude from Chr. Hansen Hørsholm, datasheet

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