Microbiology of the Grape-Wine System

Dear Colleagues,

It is no exaggeration to say that wine is predominantly made in the vineyard rather than in the winery. The quality of the grape must (juice) is shaped by physical, chemical, and biological interactions that are critical to sustaining plant growth and development. The grapevine harbors a diverse microbial community, including bacteria, fungi, and yeasts, that can impact the vine's health and productivity. Numerous microorganisms found in vineyards are also important for pre- and post-harvest grape quality and thus may shape the organoleptic characteristics of wine. In the winery, when the grapes are crushed, the yeasts residing on the berry skin begin to ferment the must. Thus, the native microflora conducting the alcoholic fermentation has already been established in the vineyard.

Winegrowing (vine-growing along with winemaking) includes complex microbial processes that take place both in the vineyard and the winery. Both ecosystems are tightly interconnected and may be studied as a unique biological system that could be called the grape-wine system. Overall, the study of microbiology in the grape-wine system, covering various aspects related to the structure and function of the grapevine- or wine-associated microbial communities relevant to winemaking, is critical for the optimization of wine quality, the development of new wine products, and the sustainability of the wine industry. Authors are invited to submit original research articles from all areas of the above topics, such as microbial biogeography, structure and function of microbial communities, microbe–microbe interactions, plant–microbe interactions, and wine-omics. We are looking forward to your contributions.

Dr. Aspasia Nisiotou
Dr. Georgios Banilas
Guest Editors

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• yeasts
• bacteria
• wine
• grapevine
• viticulture
• microbial terroir
• microbial ecology
• metagenomics
• metabolomics
• microbial biogeography
• microbiome
• microbial communities
• microbial interactions
• plant–microbe interactions
• winemaking