Use of selected indigenous yeasts from racemes of Grillo grape variety to improve the production of sparkling base wine

The production of sparkling wines in Sicily is increasing considerably. The most important oenological characteristics of high quality sparkling wines are high content of acidity and low pH. In Sicily, white grape varieties such as those of the cultivar Grillo are characterized by very low concentrations of malic and tartaric acids due to hot climate and reduced rainfall typical of the production area. On the other hand, a very large amount of raceme grapes, characterized by low pH and high content of tartaric and malic acids, is largely produced by Grillo varieties. Hence, the winemaking of racemes might represent a technological solution to increase the quality of the acids in the final w…