Have you ever wondered what makes Chardonnay buttery? Sometimes it only smells like butter but often times Chardonnay even tastes like butter, or buttered popcorn, or buttered toast. What makes a Chardonnay butter is a winemaking technique called malolactic fermentation. Malolactic fermentation, or MLF, sounds completely foreign and scary to a wine newbie. It’s a relatively simple concept that happens all the time. No need to be intimidated. I got a D in high school chemistry and even I get it now.
First things first, wine makers are chemists. Understanding wine chemistry makes understanding wine in general much easier. Wine making is balancing, converting, and controlling acids, bacterias, yeasts, pH, proteins, and every other molecular and chemical in a wine. Manipulating these components greatly affects the quality and style of the wine. Stay with me.
Acids in Wine
The most important component of wine is acid. Each grape has varying amounts of different types of acids:
- tartaric acid- dominant acid in grapes
- malic acid- dominant acid in green apples
- lactic acid- this is how you get sourdough, yogurt, and kefir
- citric acid- as its name would suggest, dominant acid in citrus
These acids contribute to the color, taste, and longevity of a wine.
Secondary fermentation/conversion
Wine’s primary fermentation is alcoholic fermentation. Yeast eats sugar and poops out alcohol and carbon dioxide. Malolactic fermentation, or MLF, is a second fermentation, or more accurately a conversion. This starts with bacteria (oenococcus oeni) and not from a yeast strain which is why it’s technically not a fermentation but the name has stuck. This bacteria is present in the vineyards, the barrels, and the winery. When the conditions are optimal (low alcohol, warm temperature) MLF will occur on it’s own. It’s the wine maker’s job to control it by either killing it to prevent MLF or promoting it to encourage MLF.
Diacetyl makes wine buttery
During MLF, malic acid converts into lactic acid. Malic acid is quite harsh and cool climate regions tend to have a lot more of this harsher acid. Converting it to lactic acid makes the wine much softer. Diacetyl is the byproduct of this process. It’s what makes Chardonnay buttery! You may have heard of diacetyl. It’s the stuff in processed foods to mimic butter. Keeping the dead yeasts with the wine encourages the production of diacetyl. This is what sur lees means on the label. Lactic sounds like lactose like in milk, right? Well, milk contains lactic acid, too. That’s why wines that go through MLF feel creamy.
This process affects the body, texture, and bouquet of wine. It’s the winemakers choice of style that will determine if the wine will go through this secondary conversion. We rarely discuss MLF with red wine even though it happens in all of them. MLF is more rare and therefore more obviously detected in white wines. Chardonnay, especially from California, smells like popcorn and butter from malolactic fermentation. MLF also gives Chardonnay their full-bodied styles and thicker creamy textures. Other white wines that sometimes get the MLF treatment are Viognier, Roussanne, and Sauvignon Blanc.
Buttery Chardonnay
Here are a few buttery Chardonnays to try. They should be easy to find and get an idea of what buttery Chardonnay is all about.
Cakebread Chardonnay for a splurge.- Mer Soleil Central Coast Chardonnay should be easy to find in supermarkets.
- Bread and Butter Chardonnay, the name says it all.
- J Lohr is inexpensive and will give you a good understanding of buttery Chardonnay.
- Rombauer Chardonnay is readily available in restaurants.
- Kendall Jackson, not my favorite but is easy to find for everyday value.
Frequently Asked Questions
What wines go through malolactic fermentation?
Almost all red wines go through malolactic fermentation. White wines that the winemaker wants to be fuller bodied and creamy will also go through malolactic fermentation.
Is malolactic fermentation necessary?
Malolactic fermentation is a winemakers choice. Depending on the style of the wine, malolactic will be necessary. MLF adds body and texture to wine. It’s also how wine feels buttery.
How can malolactic fermentation be prevented?
If a winemaker does not want the wine to go through malolactic fermentation they have three options. Adding sulfur dioxide will kill the bacteria that causes MLF. That bacteria can also be filtered out or a specific enzyme can be added to the wine to prevent malic acid from converting to lactic acid.
Is there diacetyl in red wine?
Yes! Almost all red wines go through malolactic fermentation. Diacetyl is a by product of this conversion therefore diacetyl is present in red wine.
