Microbiology of winemaking

Abstract

The production of alcoholic beverages, such as winemaking, has a long history, dating back well over 7000 years. The winemaking process is not vastly different to that used by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. The main difference is that modern-day winemakers have much more control over the different steps; time and method of grape harvesting, use of selected yeast and bacteria, and maturation techniques. The various yeast and bacteria involved in winemaking originate in the vineyard, on grapes and winemaking equipment. Even though yeast and bacteria can impart desirable sensory characteristics to wine, this is not always the case – there are numerous microbes that are unwanted. This overview of wine microbiology will be limited to yeast and bacterial fermentations and microbiological spoilage by these microbes, and will not cover vineyard moulds.