Ideal for crisp, fresh dry white/blush and all sparkling wines. Also the best strain for high alcohol tolerance. CL23 produces very low levels of fusel oils and other congener compounds during fermentation and so does not contribute much to wine flavour or aroma and can therefore be considered to be a particularly neutral / clean fermenter.
However CL23 does contribute significantly to the wines structure and ferments out sugars completely allowing for the driest of wines to be made. CL23 is noted for its robustness, being able to ferment to 18% ABV. Ethanol, tolerate high free SO2 and high levels of other stress factors such as organic acids, incorrect temperature and pH making CL23 the strain of choice for high alcohol wines or where uncertain recipes are employed and fermentation reliability is a key factor or where low temperature, fermentation down to 8ºC (46ºF), is required.
