All science has its milestones, dogmas and revolutions that make it advance and, on numerous occasions, these advances infect other disciplines, propelling them to new universes of knowledge and development.
A clear example is the demonstration, by Louis Pasteur almost two centuries ago, that the fermentation process was caused by microorganisms.
Today, in our eyes, it is a meridian fact, but it was an absolute bombshell that sounded the starting gun for the development of a multitude of industries in the following century, such as the production of antibiotics, vitamins or food.
This innovation came to enology in the late 1950s when inocula from pure cultures began to be used. And it was very good. In fact, the result was so good that, in a few more years, the research put on the market a multitude of strains of selected yeasts, thus beginning their enological hegemony.
The leap in quality of the wines is unquestionable, which was supposed to normalize this practice that, in addition, was accompanied by impressive advances in machinery, refrigerators, processes, analyzers or training.
And when we thought we had everything under control, bakers appear, taking up customs from the last century. Sourdough bread. Are they mad?
It seems that not entirely, since the world of beer and wine has not remained opaque to this movement and indigenous yeasts claim their place against the sovereign active dry yeast.
We have customized this ancient procedure taking advantage of the outstanding resources that we have today to measure, control and identify, providing an interesting emotional component.
We have all tried some of these products. Are they better? Worse? Who knows, but, indisputably, they are different, which may lead us to think that yeasts do not have a merely fermenting function, but rather manage the stressful experience of fermentation and the different components of the must, providing their "personal" touch, a touch they get from the vineyard or the factory where they are “born”.
The world of enological yeasts is changing, it is entering a new era in which it is not necessary to be on one side or another. Simply, our sovereign abandons her throne to live, as equals, with her people.
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