Talk:Malolactic fermentation

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Can someone help to clarify this? After reading this article, I don't know if malolactic fermentation makes wine taste like apples or like butter.

This paragraph is unclear to me:

--- snip ---

In winemaking malolactic fermentation is generally encouraged in many red wines and some white wines, particularly those that are aged in oak. Unoaked white wines, such as German wines generally do not undergo malolactic fermentation. Malolactic fermentation tends to create a rounder, fuller mouthfeel in subject wines. Malic acid tastes slightly of apples and this can be tasted in the wine, while lactic acid is richer and more buttery.

--- /snip ----

I don't see a connection between the first two sentences and the rest of the paragraph. The author assumes that "rounder, fuller mouthfeel" means something that I don't understand.

I still don't know if a wine that has undergone malolactic fermentation tastes of apples or butter.

To be blunt: does malolactic fermentation create or destroy malic acid?

Thanks - Alan.

It converts malic to lactic (apples to butter). Feel free to reword to make it clearer, or I will. Justinc 16:28, 23 April 2006 (UTC)