Lies: what are they?

Yeast transforms the sugar in grapes into alcohol, thus allowing us to make wine!

Some yeasts are naturally present in grapes, while others are added during the winemaking process.

Once all the sugar in the grapes has been consumed by the yeasts, they die and settle to form the lees.

The winemaker can then decide to remove the lees or keep them for further aging. Removing them is called racking, a process during which the winemaker removes the dead yeast cells through a tap at the bottom of the tank. The winemaker can also choose to leave them on and age the wine on its lees (aging on lees).

During the self-destruction of the yeasts (autolysis), aromatic molecules are created, which influence the taste and characteristics of the wine.