Vintage 2014
Vintage commenced early February in many of Australia’s wine regions somewhat earlier than some people expected, presumably due to the extended periods of hot weather experienced in many parts of the country. SA has seen extended hot periods which are expected to continue as the summer progresses. Early reports indicate lower than expected yields, areas with hen and chicken (millerendage) and quality variations according to cultivars. SIHA oenological products are in high demand, especially the crusher/generic enzyme (SIHAZYM Uni), settling/flotation enzyme (SIHAZYM Claro) and the popular white yeast strains SIHA 7, SIHA CryArome, SIHA WhiteArome and SIHA VarioFerm. Orders are already coming in for red processing products like SIHAZYM Extro, SIHA 10, SIHA 8 and SIHA Finesse Red, along with the rehydration nutrient SIHA SpeedFerm, hinting that red grapes will be harvested shortly. Our supply of ConZymPexUni, the purified liquid enzyme, is almost fully allocated, so act quickly if you wish to trial this unique product.
In areas that have experienced heat waves we strongly recommend planning your fermentation nutritional regime. In times such as these typically fruit condition will be lower than ideal, meaning nutritional availability may be diminished. SIHA has a range of products to supplement the fermentation, starting with SIHA SpeedFerm (rehydration; for extra alcohol tolerance, aromatic production and culturing), SIHA ProFerm H+2 (a complex fermentation nutrient with 20 % DAP), SIHA ProFerm Fit (contains no DAP; for aromatic and colour preservation through its high glutathione content) and SIHA Fermentation Salt Plus, a specific DAP formulation wit vitamin B1 and cellulose for yeast cultures. Remember, it is far more cost effective to be proactive in your nutritional management than reactive when a restart is required. DAP alone is a poor nutritional choice that can lead to excessive biomass production, nutrient starvation and even high levels of reductive characters in your wine, in addition to increased risk of Brettanomyces growth. Other benefits of a proactive nutritional regime for your fermentation are increased fruit expression, cleaner fermentation aromatics and kinetics, and easier MLF.
As always, our extremely popular SIHA Active G bentonite is available. With its superior compaction, Active G remains the market leader in wine bentonite, and is actually cheaper to use than other bentonites due to the increased wine return at racking. If you haven’t tried it yourself you’re throwing both wine and money away. Ask BHF for a sample today or run a trial, and check out our bentonite comparison in the SIHA vintage catalogue.
Please note! BHF is currently running specials on selected oenological products like SIHAZYM Claro, Uni and Extro, SIHA SpeedFerm and selected yeasts like SIHA Rubino Cru and others. If you are after a bargain call your local BHF representative now! Stocks are limited so please don’t wait – call us today and ask for a bulk purchase deal.
Paul Bowyer, SIHA Product Manager