About this Research Topic

Background

Microorganisms present in vineyards and surrounding soil can potentially change the composition of the final wine. At the start of the winemaking process, microbial community changes and wine yeasts (non-Saccharomyces and Saccharomyces) start to dominate the must/wine environment. Further in the process, lactic acid bacteria perform malolactic fermentation and a new microbial equilibrium occurs. Climate change-related weather extremes lead to high sugar content and nitrogen deficiency during grape ripening and thus exacerbate an unfavorable nutrient situation during fermentation, resulting in a threat to the wine microbial equilibrium. All of these factors lead to wines with high-alcohol content, low acidity, and aroma imbalance, which is not pleasant to the palate of consumers.

Climate change poses a serious threat to wine production and wine microbial ecology. Besides the expected decrease in the area suitable for viticulture, grapes and wines are developing lower acidity, higher Brix, and higher pH levels, leading to higher alcohol wines, lose of flavors, and problems with shelf stability. All these issues have repercussions on the safety and quality of final wines. To counteract these problems many scientists around the world are isolating and studying yeasts and bacteria able to mitigate several of the issues that winegrowers have to face in warmer climates. Wine quality can be preserved and enhanced by understanding and managing the microorganisms present in the vineyard and during the winemaking process.

The current advances in “omics” technologies have permitted us to better understand the grape/wine microbial ecosystem. In particular, non-conventional Saccharomyces species, considered as spoiling microorganisms in the past, are valued as being beneficial today, as they improve the wine aroma and palatability when grown in controlled fermentations together with S. cerevisiae. Additionally, current biological approaches are in progress for wine acidity modulation using Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts, in addition to the traditional lactic acid bacteria Oenococcus oeni and Lactobacillus plantarum. This Research Topic aims to understand how climate change can alter microbial diversity and thus, the wine style, and how the threats can be mitigated by modulating the microbial community and by using yeast derivatives, to improve wine aroma and palatability.

We encourage submission of Original Research, Reviews, Methods and Perspective articles. The main focus of this Research Topic is to highlight the latest advances in the following areas:
• Strain selection and genetic modification of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and lactic acid bacteria;
• Effects of non-Saccharomyces yeasts, new lactic acid bacteria, and mixed-culture fermentations on wine quality as well as biocompatibility among yeasts in mixed fermentations;
• Yeast derivatives to improve wine aroma and palatability;
• The impact of vineyard management on grape microbial communities and wine fermentation;
• The impact of microbial biogeography on wine quality and regionality;
• Biotechnological strategies to improve wine production and safety taking into account climate changes;
• Bioprotection and sulfur dioxide reduction or elimination;
• Use of emerging non-thermal technologies to control wild populations and to facilitate the implantation of non-Saccharomyces yeasts or non-Oenococcus bacteria.

Keywords: Saccharomyces, non-Saccharomyces, fermentation, lactic acid bacteria, non-Oenococcus, climate change, wine production

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