WILDWINE

Multi-strain indigenous Yeast and Bacterial starters for ‘Wild-ferment’ Wine production

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Traditionally, wines were produced by the resident grape/winery microbiota, whereas nowadays commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Oenococcus oeni starter cultures are widely used to ensure a manageable process. Despite advantages, this may lead to sensory resemblance of wines from diverse origins. Currently, the competitive nature of global wine market urges for the production of premium wines with regional character. Consumers also call for allergen-free wines made according to natural and organic procedures. To this end, the use of indigenous S. cerevisiae or non-Saccharomyces (wild) yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is a tool to create wine complexity and authenticity, while selected LAB may effectively control malolactic fermentation and thereby eliminate biogenic amines (BA). The innovative scope of this project is to combine native S. cerevisiae with wild yeasts and native O. oeni with other LAB in the development of peculiar multi-species yeast and bacterial starter blends, respectively. These formulations will be carefully designed to fulfill all the essential and desirable winemaking properties to serve as starters in induced wild fermentations for the production of specialty organic or conventional wines. For this purpose, the biodiversity of key EU viticultural areas will be thoroughly screened to identify strains of enological importance as per their phenotypic characters and genetic traits. Their eligibility will be validated in plant-scale fermentations and wines will be evaluated by sensory analysis and consumer acceptance testing. Outcomes will enable (a) launching of ‘wild ferment’ technology in winemaking, (b) production of innovative, safe terroir wines and (c) compliance with rules on organic wine production and BA content. By these means, the project will assist the SME-AGs from leading wine producing EU countries (France, Italy, Spain, Greece) to enhance marketing abilities towards a more competitive and sustainable wine industry.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

European wines based on regional starter culture combinations from different geographical areas could boost the stability and success of wine produced across the European continent.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

From Greece and Spain to Germany and Romania, Europe already boasts a strong winemaking tradition with a surprising variety of flavours and bouquets.

Yet there is still room for improvement in refining the continent's wine product and rendering this sector more competitive on the world stage.

One area worth exploring is the exploitation of new starter cultures to create 'wild-ferment' terroir wines.With this in mind, the EU-funded project 'Multi-strain indigenous yeast and bacterial starters for wild-ferment wine production' (http://www.wildwine.eu (WILDWINE)) is rising up to the challenge.

The project is investigating microbial diversity to develop original starter cultures that can be used to make such unique wines.

It is screening Europe's wine-growing regions to identify key strains and genetic traits of the local biodiversity that could help achieve its goals.In more scientific terms, the project team is combining different cultures to form particular yeast and bacterial blends in order to induce wild wine fermentations.

It is working on assigning new strains to different districts that would be protected by designation of origin, based on the most important grapevine cultivars in Europe.A key part of the project involves dissemination of results and protection of intellectual property rights while training smaller companies in the field to exploit the results.

Importantly, assessing indigenous yeast and bacterial diversity in Europe's different regions will help classify and preserve regional biodiversity.

WILDWINE will also enable the wine industry to benefit from real wild fermentations and avoid economic losses from unmarketable wines caused by uncontrolled processes.

New starter cultures are expected to produce high-end wines, enhancing the influence of the particular terroir on wine character.

As the wine producer project partners are keen on exploiting this new know-how and technology, the new wines could soon appear on the market.

This could well usher in a new age for oenology and winemaking in Europe.