Fact Sheet

WINEMAKING

Controlling Brettanomyces during winemaking

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signed T&C form. If there
is anything else that we
Introduction can to sign or you need
The growth of Brettanomyces in wine is
affected by a range of factors, some of
Brettanomyces is a yeast commonly found in
before the 24/12, please
which are interlinked. This means that
wineries, which has the potential to cause
controlling Brett requires a multi-faceted
significant spoilage in wines through the
approach. If just one factor is addressed in
production of volatile phenol compounds.
These compounds, in particular 4-
ethylphenol (4EP), 4-ethylguaiacol (4EG) and
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isolation, it is unlikely to be successful.
However, if action is taken on all or most of
the factors discussed the risk of Brett
4-ethylcatechol (4EC), are associated with
spoilage should be greatly reduced. Key
undesirable sensory characters such as
factors in a Brett control strategy are
‘Band-Aid’, ‘medicinal’, ‘horsy’, and ‘barnyard’,
outlined below.
which are collectively often known as ‘Brett’
character. Because Brettanomyces can be General sanitation
found across all Australian wine regions, and
can cause such negative sensory effects, it is Cleaning and sanitation in the winery are
sensible for all wineries to have a control extremely important in controlling a range of
strategy in place, even if Brett spoilage microbial spoilage problems, by helping to
problems have not been experienced in the prevent the build-up of unwanted yeast,
past. Steps taken to control Brett are also bacteria or moulds. During vintage, care
likely to have additional positive should be taken to ensure that crushers,
consequences in avoiding other presses and must lines are cleaned and
microbiological spoilage, volatile acidity (VA) sanitised regularly (at least daily), so that
and general wine instability problems. populations of unwanted microorganisms can
be kept to a minimum. Keeping processing

Updated February 2023

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 Fact Sheet
WINEMAKING

equipment clean will also help prevent the minimising wine oxidation and promoting
accumulation of organic material, which can wine longevity. Simply adding more SO2 is
harbour microorganisms. not necessarily the best way to control Brett,
although in some cases this is appropriate.
Tanks and barrels should also be cleaned Rather, it is better to use SO2 in a way that is
regularly to prevent microbial cross- most effective. A more detailed discussion of
contamination when wines are transferred SO2 use in winemaking can be found in
within the winery. Additionally, the microbial Robinson and Godden (2003); however,
status of any wines or barrels entering the there are some simple principles that can be
winery, and the 4EP/4EG concentrations of applied to minimise the risk of Brett spoilage.
the wines, including those intended for

Please find attached

topping, should be ascertained. • To dramatically reduce the probability
of microbiological problems, add some
Residual sugar SO2 at the crusher. Note that this may

signed T&C form. If there

Brettanomyces growth is strongly favoured eliminate all yeast and bacteria, which
by the presence of residual sugar in wine. might result in the need to inoculate
Optimising the success of primary for malolactic fermentation (MLF).

is anything else that we

fermentation is therefore an important part of
• When adding SO2 to wine, remember
a Brett prevention strategy. The simplest
that only about 35 to 40% is yielded
ways to minimise residual sugar in red wine

can to sign or you need

as free SO2 (the component that has
are to:
antimicrobial activity) – so add enough
• have the strongest yeast starter to make a difference. One large

before the 24/12, please

culture possible by following supplier addition is much more effective than
recommendations – especially with several small additions.
high sugar musts
• Don’t forget about the relationship
• aerate the fermentation when it is
most active – conduct at least one
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between free SO2 and pH. The higher
the pH of wine, the more SO2 is
aerative racking, or rack and return needed to achieve the same
antimicrobial effect.
• avoid temperature shock of yeast
when pressing – aim to keep wines • Wine is particularly vulnerable to
within two degrees of fermenter microbiological spoilage during MLF,
temperature for at least twelve hours so it is a good idea to make a big SO2
during and after pressing. addition as soon as MLF is completed
– and to do everything possible to
It is also important to check residual sugar help MLF go through quickly.
levels in red wines using an enzymatic assay,
rather than assuming that primary • SO2 is less effective when added to
fermentation is complete. wines with high turbidity. This doesn’t
mean that SO2 shouldn’t be added to
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) hazy wines, but if it is, more will be
SO2 is a very important wine additive, both in needed to have the same effect. It
preventing microbial spoilage and in also means that working to maintain

Updated February 2023

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 Fact Sheet
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low turbidity throughout wine To remediate known contaminated barrels

maturation will reap benefits. the AWRI recommends hot water as the most
effective and practical sanitation method;
• The ratio of free to total SO2 is a that is, filling barrels with hot water of at
useful winemaking tool and is worth least 70°C and leaving it in the barrels for at
monitoring. A decrease in this ratio least 30 minutes, or 85°C water for at least
indicates that free SO2 is being lost or 15 minutes (Coulter et al. 2003), ideally until
bound to other wine components, and the outside of the barrel is hot to touch. The
if this occurs, the reasons should be hot water may be reused to sanitise other
investigated. barrels, although caution should be exercised
with pumping hot water, due to the possible
During even the most careful transfer of a

Please find attached

negative effects on pump stators and hoses.
wine, 5 mg /L of free SO2 can be lost.
For these reasons, it may be better to
pH transfer the water using a syphon and

signed T&C form. If there

gravity.
Brettanomyces growth is favoured by high
pH; however, this is predominantly due to the Barrel topping

is anything else that we

relationship between pH and SO2
The wine used for topping barrels can be a
effectiveness. At the end of MLF, wines are
potential source of Brettanomyces and other
usually at their highest pH and lowest SO2
microbiological contamination. It is commonly

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concentration, which makes this a critical
poorly stored – often on ullage and without
time for potential Brettanomyces growth and
adequate SO2. Simple steps taken to ensure
wine spoilage. It is recommended that
that topping wine is stored carefully, at low

before the 24/12, please

winemakers clarify red wines and make a
temperature and without ullage, and is
single large SO2 addition as soon as possible
maintained at a suitable level of SO2 to
after MLF, rather than a series of smaller
prevent microbial growth, could prevent

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additions.
widespread wine contamination. Storing
Barrel sanitation topping wine at elevated SO2 concentrations
can be beneficial, because when used for
While barrel sanitation should be an topping it helps control the growth of film-
important component of any Brett control forming microorganisms in barrels.
strategy, it is crucial to remember that barrel
sanitation alone will not solve a Brett New barrels vs old barrels
problem. Additionally, any effort put into
While it might be commonly assumed that
barrel sanitation will be wasted if the barrels
older barrels pose greater risk, due to the
are re-contaminated with wine containing a
possibility of Brettanomyces yeast having
high population of Brettanomyces yeast.
become established in the old wood, it
A wide range of barrel sanitation methods should be remembered that all other things
are used in wineries around the world, being equal, wine stored in new barrels will
including: cold and hot water rinses, filling lose SO2 faster than wine stored in older
with SO2 solutions, steam cleaning, ozone, barrels. This factor should be taken into
ultrasonics, microwaves and even blasting account for wine going into new barrels, or
with particles of dry ice. recently cleaned barrels, to ensure that SO2

Updated February 2023

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concentrations are maintained at high concentration of volatiles has risen above the
enough levels to inhibit microbial growth. sensory threshold, and therefore have an
advantage over after-the-fact detection by
Filtration and clarification sensory evaluation.
Wines with high turbidity are generally at a Silicon dioxide and activated carbon have
higher risk of microbial spoilage (including been shown to have some ability to remove
Brett) than those with lower turbidity. This is Brettanomyces-derived volatiles from wine
due, at least in part, to the influence of high when used as fining agents, although their
turbidity on SO2 effectiveness. It is important, effectiveness and the dose required may
when confronted with a hazy wine, to vary between wines. Fining trials are
determine what components make up the therefore recommended.

Please find attached

haze, rather than simply to assume that the
haze is benign in nature. If a haze is found to
contain viable microorganisms, then filtration
By far the most effective method of removing
Brettanomyces-derived volatiles is reverse
osmosis (RO). Mobile RO services are

recommended. While some winemakerssigned T&C form. If there

of the wine before bottling is highly available in most Australian wine production
regions. It has been reported that up to 7% of
seem hesitant to filter red wines, it is the 4-ethylphenol can be removed with each

is anything else that we

AWRI’s position that a well performed
filtration of the appropriate grade is a much
pass of a wine through a RO machine, but
care should be exercised because positive
better option than taking the risk of post- volatiles might also be removed, particularly
bottling microbial spoilage.
can to sign or you need
Other treatments and monitoring options
with repeated passes. It is therefore
recommended that wine is repeatedly
sensorially assessed during RO treatment,

before the 24/12, please

While the prevention of Brettanomyces
infection by combining the strategies
and that samples are taken periodically for
comparative purposes as the treatment
progresses.
discussed here has been shown to be highly
effective and is strongly recommended,
some other treatments for Brett are also let me know.
In most cases, fining or RO will not reduce
the concentration of Brettanomyces-derived
available. Chemical treatments that aim to volatiles to the point where they are no
reduce or eliminate viable Brett cells include longer sensorially detectable, but may
sorbic acid, chitosan and dimethyl reduce them to the point where it is possible
decarbonate (DMDC), which may be most to blend the wine so that the Brettanomyces
useful when use immediately prior to pre- character is no longer obvious. It has also
bottling filtration. been shown that the perception of
Brettanomyces volatiles may be masked by
Traditionally, microbiological plating has other characters found in wine, such as oak
been used to positively detect and quantify volatiles.
the presence of viable cells but this has now
been largely replaced by commercial More information these chemical treatments,
systems based on DNA detection. These monitoring systems, fining and RO can be
systems can detect and quantify the found in the Brett FAQ page on the AWRI
presence of Brettanomyces cells before the website.

Updated February 2023

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WINEMAKING

Acknowledgement Contact
This work was supported by Wine Australia, For further information, please contact:
with levies from Australia's grapegrowers and
winemakers and matching funds from the AWRI helpdesk
Australian Government. The AWRI is a
Phone 08 8313 6600
member of the Wine Innovation Cluster in
Adelaide. Email [email protected]

References and further reading Website www.awri.com.au

Chatonnet, P., Dubourdieu, D., Boidron, J. N. Address Wine Innovation Central Building,
The influence of Brettanomyces/Dekkera sp.
Corner of Hartley Grove & Paratoo Rd,

Please find attached

yeasts and lactic acid bacteria on the Urrbrae (Adelaide), SA 5064
ethylphenol content of red wines. 1995. Am.
J. Enol. Vitic. 46(4): 463–468.

Coulter, A.D., Robinson, E., Cowey, G.,

Francis, I.L., Lattey, K., Capone, D., Gishen,signed T&C form. If
M., Godden, P. 2003.
Dekkera/Brettanomyces yeast — An
overview of recent AWRI investigations and there is anything else
some recommendations for its control. Bell,
S.M., de Garis, K.A., Dundon, C.G.,
that we can to sign or
Hamilton, .P., Partridge, S.J., Wall, G.S. eds.

you need before the

Proceedings of a seminar organised by the
Australian Society of Viticulture and
Oenology, held 10–11 July 2003, Tanunda,

24/12, please let me

SA. Adelaide, SA: ASVO: 41–50.

Robinson, E. Godden, P. 2003. Revisiting

sulfur dioxide use. AWRI Technical Review
(145) 7-11. Available from:
https://www.awri.com.au/tr/Technical_Revie
know.
w_Issue_145.pdf

Updated February 2023

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