Viniflora® CH16 is an Oenococcus oeni strain isolated from high-alcohol red wine. Viniflora® CH16 has been selected to perform malolactic fermentation in wines up to 16% (v/v) alcohol, hence the name CH16.
CH16 is extensively used in warmer climates for red wines with an alcohol percentage of 14–16% (v/v), resulting in fast and reliable malolactic fermentation (Figure 1). CH16 produces a medium level of diacetyl and can therefore also be used for barrel-aged wines.
CH16 works very well with a large variety of Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine strains.
CH16 is among the best strains for use with following red varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Corvina, Nebiolo, Nero D’Avola, Tempranillo, Syrah, Grenache, Carmenere and Malbec.
CH16 can be used for early co-inoculation, late co-inoculation as well as sequential inoculation.