DSF Event: Yeast with Sigrid Gertsen-Schibbye

MC with Sigrid Gertsen-Schibbye. Photo DSF

I was accepted into the Danish Sommelier Association in the fall of 2015, and the first event I attended was about yeast at Restaurant Komfur on May 3, 2016.

At that time, the association was still a relatively unknown concept to me, but when I heard Sigrid Gertsen-Schibbye from the yeast factory Lallemand – not Lalle Man – talk about the importance of yeast in the wine production, I realized how big the world of wine really is. And then, how much we consumers, retailers, importers and even sommeliers take for granted when it comes to wine.

We sometimes forget how much work has been put into creating the wine that stands before us. How many processes, chemical as well as natural, the must has gone through on its way to becoming wine. And this is precisely where a large part of the magic lies. The making of wine.

Eight years later, I joined the board and was given responsibility for events and entrance exams for Jylland and Fyn. But as most people in the industry probably know, it is not always easy to gather a good group of sommeliers, both due to lack of time, but also because we are a spoiled people. We don't just want to hear one or another producer present his or hers wines or taste the difference between Sangiovese Grosso and Sangiovese Piccolo. We expect more, and there is actually a strength in that.

MC at Mefisto. Photo DSF

In my brainstorm to find the theme for our next meeting, I therefore thought back to the event about yeast and decided to repeat the success. So I wrote to Sigrid, who immediately agreed to come and talk about her field once again. Fortunately, many of our members were also on board with the idea, so when the event was held, it was with a lovely full room at Mefisto.

I had asked Rico Jørgensen from Best Selection to bring some wines to a blind tasting, which we started with. Milagres Alvarinho 2021 from Quinta da Pedra in Vinho Verde, Solaris Reserve 2024 from Dyrehøj, Røsnæs and Clarendelle 2018 from Clarence Dillon in Bordeaux.

After a short break, snacks were served and Sigrid took the floor. Since 2001, she has been employed as a microbiologist at Lallemand in Grenå, and has also been a technical advisor in Niagara, Canada, California, England and Scandinavia. And just like in 2016, her great enthusiasm for the amazing nature of yeast was clearly evident. For a good hour, she presented us with some of the countless aspects and interfaces that yeast affects wine production with, and although some of it was quite technical, there were many questions and a widespread desire to learn even more.

So all in all, a wonderful event with many interested members, and a huge thank you to Sigrid, Mefisto and Best Selection.

Kind regards, Kenny Jess Brandt