It has been a long time coming, but whether we want to know all about wine or just a little, there’s one thing that can’t be overlooked: It’s time to talk about malolactic fermentation.
I know it’s hot, and it’s summer; there’s a lot of other stuff to do, and nobody came to the lake for a chemistry lesson, but this is an important element of winemaking that might be intriguing on a rainy day or when it’s just too hot to be outside.
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