PREFACE

n 1991 Lallemand promoted an international symposium in Rome (Italy) on malolactic fermentation, where some researchers presented preliminary results on bacteria metabolism and several systems for promoting malolactic fermentation (MLF) in wine.

Since then, much progress has been made on this topic: several freeze-dried cultures of Oenococcus oenii are now commercially available in easy-to-use forms, and scientific research has shown the bacteria strain can influence a wines final color, aroma and mouthfeel. These recent findings coincide with the increasing winemaker demand for a more controlled management of MLF kinetics, and in particular the influence on the final quality of wine.

Lallemarid felt the timing was right for a follow-up symposium, with the goal of gathering experiences developed in different countries and of promoting communication and collaboration among researchers working on the MLF topic.

The April 1998 meeting, which took place in Verona, Italy, has been very useful to better understand the sensory effect of MLF carried out with selected strains of ML bacteria, and to define the main areas to focus our future research and development.

Lallemand would like to share with winemakers the richness of the papers presented at Verone, by printing a special issue including the original and full versions of the presentations made during the symposium.