麻豆传媒

(Image: Reuters/Arnd Wiegmann)

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RAISE a glass to the real winemakers: yeast. Research is starting to show just how important microbes can be for creating a distinctive taste.

at the University of Lincoln, UK, and Sarah Knight at the University of Auckland in New Zealand isolated yeast from six regions and used them to ferment the same batch of grape juice from Sauvignon Blanc fruit, which had been sterilised to kill off any existing microbes.

They then analysed the concentrations of 39 flavour-imparting chemicals in wines produced from the different yeasts. They found that 29 of them varied depending on where the yeast had come from, suggesting that the local varieties of yeast affect the taste of wine. This explained around 10 per cent of the total variation in the chemical profiles of wines ().

鈥淭he microbial component is only one of many influences, so by itself wouldn鈥檛 weigh in massively,鈥� says Goddard. Other big elements come from human factors, such as when the grapes are picked and the blend of grapes. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e suggesting here that even though it鈥檚 a small component it鈥檚 still a significant component.鈥�

at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France, agrees that soil and climate play a bigger role.

This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淟ocal microbes can affect the flavour and aroma of wine鈥�