Editing Malolactic fermentation (section)

===Native LAB species in the vineyard and the winery===
[[File:Harvested_grapes_being_loaded_into_crusher_destemmer.jpg|left|thumb|Winery equipment offers multiple contact points for native populations of lactic acid bacteria to be introduced to the wine.]]
''Oenococcus oeni'', the LAB species most often desired by winemakers to carry out malolactic fermentation, can be found in the vineyard, but often at very low levels. While moldy, damaged fruit has the potential to carry a diverse flora of microbes, the LAB most often found on clean, healthy grapes after [[harvest (wine)|harvest]] are species from the ''Lactobacillus'' and ''Pediococcus'' genera. After crushing, microbiologists usually find populations under 10<sup>3</sup> [[colony forming units]]/mL containing a mix of '' P. damnosus, L. casei, L. hilgardii,'' and '' L. plantarum'', as well as ''O. oeni''. For musts that do not receive an early dose of sulfur dioxide to "knock back" these wild populations of LAB, this flora of bacteria compete with each other (and the wine yeasts) for nutrients early in fermentation.<ref name="Boulton"/>

In the winery, multiple contact points can be home to native population of LAB including [[oak barrels]], pumps, hoses, and bottling lines. For wines where malolactic fermentation is undesirable (such as fruity white wines), the lack of proper [[sanitation]] of wine equipment can lead to the development of unwanted MLF and result in [[wine fault]]s. In cases of oak barrels where full and complete sanitation is almost impossible, wineries often mark barrels that have contained wines going through MLF and keep them isolated from "clean" or brand new barrels that they can use for wines that are not destined to go through MLF.<ref name="Yair"/>