Brettanomyces is a particularly nasty yeast that is often the bane of the collective existence of many winemakers. Its foul-smelling byproducts have often been called “barnyardy” or “mouse pee-like” on the sensory scale and it can often be detected in very minute quantities. As to eradicating the microorganism that caused your wine to go down the path of delinquency: As Dr. Roger Boulton, winemaking professor at University of California, Davis puts it, “You’d better just burn the whole winery down.” So maybe it’s not that bad. What the good doctor was referring to is the fact that Brettanomyces are very persistent little buggers. They thrive in wines and they can even survive in emptied barrels, feasting off of the sugars in the wood and any lovely leftovers, hiding in the cracks that your barrel-cleaning system missed. They’re usually transmitted from winery to winery via shared barrels or purchased bulk wine. In the case of your carboys, since I assume they are glass, clean them excruciatingly well and have no fear of using them again. In the future, make sure that
Already a member? Log In