Systems That Perform Lees Stirring (Bâtonnage)

In winemaking, it is important to care for the lees that form in the tank during fermentation. By resuspending them through bâtonnage, you can get the most out of the wine style you want to produce. In addition, this process requires careful management—as we’ll explain below.

What are lees?

Lees can be described as the “mother” of wine. They have a pale yellow color and a bread-like aroma. During their breakdown (autolysis), mannoproteins are released. Lees also contain polyphenols, which contribute color and structure. To prevent fine lees from precipitating, the bâtonnage technique is used. Do you remember how it works? Don’t worry—we recap it in this post.

Lees act as natural protection against oxidation, helping reduce the need for sulfur dioxide (sulfites). They also preserve aromatic persistence while adding volume and structure to the wine.

How are lees generated?

Just like with yeasts, lees can be produced using BR-LEV-LC and BR-CV bioreactors through their bâtonnage program—delivering significant cost savings in wine production and tighter control of winery operations, as explained in this other post.

What do lees contribute?

Lees contribute highly interesting aroma notes (bakery, pastry, dairy), along with proteins, fatty acids, and polysaccharides that increase mouthfeel creaminess, volume, and structure.

In short, bâtonnage leads to wines with greater quality and complexity.

Recommended products

LEV2050 recommends using FLO-1, a flocculant liquid yeast designed for propagation and subsequent bâtonnage in LEV2050 bioreactors. This enables the production of a lysate with balanced protein and polysaccharide contributions for wine finishing. It also offers the following benefits:

• Very high economic profitability when produced in a bioreactor.

• Increased volume and structure thanks to its polysaccharide and glycoprotein properties.

In addition, we offer a yeast lysis medium, LIA-LEV, specifically designed to produce yeast lysates from any yeast grown in the bioreactor—whether native or commercial. With this product, we can deliver different protein, polysaccharide, and aromatic profiles to our wines.