Hi, Being new to winemaking I would like to try a wine red or white that doesn’t need the malolactic fermentation step. I have a red wine in progress that had fermentation issues thus I will be skipping the MLF step. I have read that some wines dont need MLF to be good, such as Moscato and Riesling. I slightly dry and fruity wine would be nice. Any suggestions would be appreciated I have 2 weeks left to order with my local store.
The majority of wines are better without MF. Heavy reds like Cabs, Merlots, Syrah, and many Italian and Spanish varieties are improved by MF. Lighter varieties like Beaujolais, Grenache, Lemberger and Lambrusco and almost all white wines are not put through MF. Chardonnay is the only white wine where MF is common, but I’m still not sure why. Chardonnay without MF is IMHO much better.
Most red grapes will make fine wine either with or without MF. You’ll get a different wine depending on process, but either way can yield great results.
