Through a collaborative research with INRA France, Lallemand Oenology is please to report on the finding of a new wine yeast that can produce up to less than 1.3% alcohol in wine. a breakthrough in wine research

1. PRESS RELEASE For immediate release
Breakthrough research from Lallemand Oenology and the INRA:
The First Wine Yeast to Naturally Produce Lower Alcohol Wines
Toulouse, June 9 2014 – The result of collaborative research by Lallemand Oenology and the
French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), in Montpellier, France, this new, non-
GM Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeast is capable of producing lower alcohol levels in
wine and with no production of undesirable compounds.
Lower level of alcohol and no undesirable compounds
This particular wine yeast is the first in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae species to be selected for
its low rate of sugar to alcohol conversion. For example, in a wine with a potential alcohol level
of 15.8% (v/v), this wine yeast produces a wine with 1.3 degrees of alcohol less than all other
the wine yeasts utilized, and compensates by producing more glycerol – a desired natural
metabolite that increases the sensation of fullness in the wine. Interestingly, this wine yeast does
not produce such undesirable compounds as acetoin and the acetate level is particularly low.
During wine trials, this new wine yeast maintained the overall quality of the wine produced.
The selection method was described as adaptive evolution, which is the selection of
natural yeast with desired characteristics. Lallemand Oenology is currently developing the
production process for this innovative wine yeast in order that it maintains excellent winemaking
properties, before making it available to the wine industry.
Market for low alcohol wines
Nowadays, global warming, viticultural practices and vine selection tend to produce wine with
higher alcohol levels. However, the market is currently oriented towards beverages with
moderate alcohol content, in line with public prevention policies, consumer health issues and
preferences. Moreover, as some countries impose taxes on the alcohol content, it raises
economic issues. High levels of alcohol can also alter the sensory quality of wines by increasing

2. the perception of hotness and, to a lesser extent, by decreasing the perception of sweetness,
acidity and aroma. Consequently, reducing the ethanol content of wine at various steps of the
winemaking process has been a major focus of winemaking research. One of the most attractive
and least expensive options is to use yeasts that produce less alcohol from the same amount of
sugar, such as this new wine yeast.
This breakthrough research was published by the INRA team led by Dr. Sylvie Dequin in the
scientific journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology under the title “Reduction of ethanol
yield and improvement of glycerol formation by adaptive evolution of the wine yeast
Saccharomyces cerevisiae under hyperosmotic conditions”
http://aem.asm.org/content/80/8/2623.abstract, and the research was also discussed in a
research highlight in Evolutionary Applications
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eva.12153/full.
About Lallemand
Lallemand – a leading producer of wine yeast and bacteria selected from nature, and their
nutrients, and a distributor of oenological enzymes – is a privately owned Canadian corporation
with divisions operating around the world. The Oenology Division, based in Toulouse, France,
has a major focus on research and development, both in-house and in collaboration with
renowned research institutes.
About the INRA
The INRA (the French National Institute for Agricultural Research) is a mission-oriented public
research institute under the supervision of the French Ministries for Research and Agriculture,
and carries out research in the fields of agriculture, food and the environment. The INRA aims at
ensuring healthy and high-quality food, competitive and sustainable agriculture and an
environment that is preserved and developed. The INRA conducts its research on wine and
oenology in its own vineyards, on its experimental plots or in laboratories based in the heart of
French wine regions, as close as possible to players in this industry. For more information, go to
http://www.inra.fr/en/
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Source: Lallemand Oenology
Contact: Ann Dumont
anndumont@lallemand.com