Renowned for its know-how in wine stabilisation, the Martin Vialatte® company developed an interest in vinification at the end of the 1970s in order to accompany the developing wine industry, which at that time sought to control the entire winemaking process. Mr Martin and Mr Vialatte were aware that it was necessary to treat must at a very early stage, so they came up with the idea of creating LACTA B, the first innovative fining product made from the synergy of two active materials – bentonite and casein.

The gelatine-based GELISOL® range was then launched in 1985. During this period and until the mid-1990s, numerous fining products were developed from different raw materials – egg albumin (OVOCOL®) and gelatines sourced from pork (SOLUGEL®, etc.) and fish (AQUACOL, QALISOL).

However, the mad cow disease crisis in the late 1990s resulted in increasingly high demand for wines free from animal products or allergens. The Martin Vialatte® company then positioned itself as a pioneer by launching a project to identify and develop alternatives to animal glues. New plant-based raw materials were selected and tested, enabling Martin Vialatte® to be project promoter at the OIV in 1999. Consequently, industrial-scale trials were carried out from 2001 to 2003 in order to assess interest in the new raw materials selected – vegetable protein from peas and wheat. The use of these fining products was validated by the OIV in October 2004, and the iconic PROVGREEN® range made from pea protein was created. Other products combining pea protein and other raw materials of interest (PVPP, bentonites, cellulose, charcoal) were developed during this period under the POLYGREEN® range.

In 2010, the European Union’s validation of the use of chitosan in oenology was the gateway to new prospects. Martin Vialatte® took advantage of its synergy with pea protein and developed the KTS® range in 2015. The best-selling KTS® FLOT was the first 100% plant-based alternative to gelatine on the market.

2021 was a turning point in the history of pre-fermentation fining for Martin Vialatte®’s expertise in this area, thanks to the launch of the Oenoterris® reasoned agro-oenology programmes and to an intelligent fining approach with Smart’App Collage, a decision-making tool that enables musts to be classified at the end of the pressing process in order to apply the most suitable fining process.