For most wine drinkers, the role of yeast in winemaking can be whittled down to the basics of fermentation: Yeast eats the sugars in the grape juice and gives off ethanol, an alcohol that in limited ...

Speaking with a winemaker recently and asking about indigenous yeast, she cut us off and asked why she would leave a major decision about her winemaking—fermentation—up to chance. When we delve into ...