Review of Oenologists No. 141, October 2011

Bacteria in wine were first described by Pasteur, who, in his "Studies on Wine" in 1866, concluded that they were responsible for various alterations such as acetic sting, lactic sting, turning, fatness, or bitterness. Although this description was accurate, it was incomplete, as it portrayed bacteria as microorganisms exclusively harmful to wine. This negative image persisted for nearly 70 years, even after it was understood that some of them, lactic bacteria, were capable of transforming malic acid into lactic acid during malolactic fermentation. It was only in the 1920s-1930s that Ribéreau-Gayon in Bordeaux and Ferré in Burgundy showed that malolactic fermentation significantly improves the quality of most wines.