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Film yeast

Oxygen and microbesRecoverable if caught early

A white or grey film on the surface first, then a flat, thin, faintly solventy wine as the alcohol drops.

What causes it

Candida or Pichia growing on the surface of a wine left with air above it, feeding on the alcohol itself.

Detection threshold

Visible before it is smellable, which is the one mercy of it.

What you can do

Rack from underneath without disturbing the film, sulphite properly, and fill the new vessel to the neck. Caught in the first days the wine is usually fine.

How to prevent it

No headspace, ever. This is the fault that punishes a half-full carboy faster than any other.