Torulaspora delbrueckii for secondary fermentation in sparkling wine production

In the search for the desired oenological features and flavour complexity of wines, there is growing interest in the potential use of non-Saccharomyces yeast that are naturally present in the winemaking environment. Torulaspora delbrueckii is one such yeast that has seen profitable use in mixed fermentations with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and with different grape varieties. T. delbrueckii can have positive and distinctive impacts on the overall aroma of wines, and has also been used at an industrial level. Here, T. delbrueckii was successfully used in pure and mixed secondary fermentations for sparkling wine. The two selected T. delbrueckii strains used completed the secondary fermentation ‘prise de mousse’ in these pure and mixed fermentations. The sparkling wines obtained with T. delbrueckii showed different aromatic compositions and sensory profiles to those of S. cerevisiae. T. delbrueckii strain DiSVA 130 showed high esters production and significantly high scores for some of the aromatic descriptors that positively influence the sensory profile of sparkling wine. Thus, the use of T. delbrueckii in pure and mixed fermentations is a suitable strategy to further develop the flavour complexity during secondary fermentation of sparkling wines.