Wine Industry Report

First Venture Technologies Corp. (TSX-V:FEB) reports that it now has signed agreements in place with numerous wine companies to conduct fermentation trials with the company’s proprietary urea and ethyl carbamate minimizing yeasts during this 2006 US harvest season.

Many leading wineries have chosen to participate in this scaled-up phase of the company’s pre-commercial product evaluation, varying in size from boutique estates to larger international producers. Of primary consideration for these trial clients has been the importance of minimizing ethyl carbamate contaminant levels in wine while maintaining high product quality. Additional wineries that were unable to trial this season have stated interest in this season’s trial results and / or in participation in the following season.

These fermentation trials will look at:
a Efficacy. Measuring the reduction of actual and potential levels of ethyl carbamate formation in wines produced with First Venture’s proprietary yeasts versus comparative commercial strains. As ethyl carbamate concentrations continue to increase post-bottling and prior to consumption—with time and temperature increases exacerbating the problem-it is critical to measure and minimize the potential ethyl carbamate amounts to which consumers can be exposed.

b Transparency. Confirming that wines produced with First Venture’s ethyl carbamate minimizing yeasts do not differ in terms of sensory characteristics or analytically from wines produced with comparative commercial yeast strains.

It is expected that these trials will provide, under a wide-range of commercial winemaking conditions, similar significant reductions in ethyl carbamate as determined in lab trials conducted at the Wine Research Centre at The University of British Columbia.

“We are very pleased by the commitment of the many wineries we have had contact with who want to minimize ethyl carbamate contaminant exposure as evidenced by their willingness to trial the use of new technologies and products such as ours that can further improve wine product quality”, noted Andy Starr, First Venture Yeast Products’ Director of Marketing & Business Development.

“Though we are just in a pre-commercial trial phase this season, the participating wineries’ collective capacity would represent over 10% of the total wine production in the U.S. today.”, said Geoff Lee, First Venture’s Director Regional Development. “We are gratified to have this participation, along with the further interest of others in this, just our first season “in-the-field”.