Welcome

Introduction

 The project "WILDWINE" has received funding from the European Union's 7th Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 315065.

The European wines are back...and they are "wild".

Aforetime, wines were produced by the resident grape/winery microbiota. Currently 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, whereas exotic starters may fail to take over fermentation. Nowadays, 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 is a tool to create wine complexity and authenticity, while selected lactic acid bacteria (LAB) may effectively control malolactic fermentation and thereby eliminate biogenic amines (BA).

Read more: Introduction