Wine & terroir microbiome

01Overview and value chain

Markers: [EC: EU CAP & OIV wine standards | OECD: Food systems | Regulator: OIV standards, FDA/TTB (USA), EU wine regulations, MoA (China)]

Wine & terroir microbiome covers the selected microbes and microbial science that turn grapes into wine. Fermentis supplies the Enoferm T306 Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast (an Australian isolate from Tyrrell’s Vineyards, Hunter Valley, for aromatic whites and early-release reds); LAFFORT’s FLORACONTROL (2026) is a BIOControl tool pairing fungal chitosan with an inactivated yeast fraction for microbial and oxidation management; Lamothe-Abiet rolls out 2026 harvest-efficiency oenological innovations; and the science of how vineyard microbiomes define terroir is mapped by INRAE (a 95-site Swiss vineyard survey) and the AWRI (a Montilla–Moriles PDO terroir comparison). This is the wine-microbiology layer — broader fermentation in precision-fermentation and food-microorganisms-starters.

The key directions of wine & terroir microbiome are:

1. Wine yeast inoculants (Wine Yeast Inoculants): selected Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains (Fermentis Enoferm, LAFFORT, Lamothe-Abiet) for aroma, mouthfeel and varietal style.
2. Microbial biocontrol & stabilization (Wine Microbial Biocontrol): chitosan-plus-yeast-fraction tools (LAFFORT FLORACONTROL) reducing spoilage and oxidation risk.
3. Vineyard terroir microbiome profiling (Vineyard Terroir-Microbiome Profiling): mapping how vineyard microbes (soil, bark, berries) shape wine properties (INRAE, AWRI).
4. Malolactic fermentation & nutrition (Malolactic & Nutrition): ML bacteria and yeast-nutrition oenological products managing the secondary fermentation.

Sectoral value chain

[vineyard microbiome (terroir)] ──> [harvest & yeast inoculation] ──> [alcoholic fermentation] ──> [malolactic fermentation]
                                   │
                           (microbes shape the wine)
                                   │
                                   ▼
[bottling] <─── [microbial biocontrol / stabilization] <─────┘

Value chain levels

Cross-cutting technologies of the sector:

• Selected Saccharomyces wine yeasts (Selected Saccharomyces Wine Yeasts): varietal- and style-specific strains (Enoferm T306) for aromatic and mouthfeel expression.
• Terroir-microbiome mapping (Terroir-Microbiome Mapping): large-scale vineyard surveys linking soil/bark/berry microbiomes to wine volatile profiles.
• Chitosan-based microbial biocontrol (Chitosan-Based Microbial Biocontrol): fungal chitosan plus inactivated yeast fractions for spoilage and oxidation control (FLORACONTROL).

02US

The US pairs its university terroir-microbiome research base with an expanding craft-wine and USDA-supported viticulture sector.

UC Davis terroir research, USDA viticulture, craft wine

• UC Davis viticulture & enology: a leading academic anchor for vineyard-microbiome and wine-yeast research, including native-yeast isolation and terroir-microbiome studies.
• USDA viticulture programs: USDA-supported grape and wine research frames the public-sector science base underpinning terroir-microbiome understanding.
• Craft wine & native fermentation: the US craft-wine movement drives interest in native/spontaneous fermentation and terroir-microbial expression.

03CN

China’s emerging fine-wine regions build a domestic wine-microbiology research and supply base.

Ningxia/Helan Mountain wine region, domestic microbiome research

• Ningxia & Helan Mountain: China’s flagship fine-wine regions drive domestic research into wine-microbial resources, spontaneous fermentation and terroir-microbial adaptation to arid continental climates.
• Academic base: Chinese universities publish growing research on wine-microorganism resource development, building the science base for China’s expanding wine industry.

04EU

Europe — and France in particular — is the global centre of wine microbiology, pairing the oenological-product houses with the leading terroir-microbiome research institutes.

LAFFORT, Lamothe-Abiet, Fermentis yeast, INRAE & AWRI terroir science

• LAFFORT (France): FLORACONTROL (2026) pairs fungal chitosan with an inactivated Saccharomyces cerevisiae fraction for microbial and oxidation management, reducing spoilage risk.
• Lamothe-Abiet (France): rolls out 2026 harvest-efficiency oenological innovations covering yeast nutrition and fermentation management.
• Fermentis (France): supplies the Enoferm T306 S. cerevisiae (an Australian isolate from Tyrrell’s Vineyards, Hunter Valley) for aromatic whites and early-release reds.
• INRAE (France): a 95-site Swiss vineyard survey disentangles how spatial, climatic and biotic factors shape vineyard microbiomes (soil, bark, leaves, berries) and in turn wine properties.
• AWRI (Australia): a Montilla–Moriles PDO terroir comparison shows distinct dominant non-Saccharomyces microbiomes and volatile profiles creating distinct wine identities across terroirs.

05Leading companies and research institutes

06Tech stack and innovations

The stack pairs selected-yeast and biocontrol tools with terroir-microbiome science.

1. Selected wine yeast inoculants (Selected Wine Yeast Inoculants):
   • Fermentis’s Enoferm T306 (Tyrrell’s Hunter Valley isolate) and the LAFFORT/Lamothe-Abiet yeast ranges deliver varietal- and style-specific aroma and mouthfeel expression.
2. Microbial biocontrol and nutrition (Microbial Biocontrol & Nutrition):
   • LAFFORT’s FLORACONTROL (fungal chitosan + inactivated yeast fraction) controls spoilage and oxidation; Lamothe-Abiet’s 2026 nutrition innovations boost fermentation efficiency.
3. Vineyard terroir-microbiome science (Vineyard Terroir-Microbiome Science):
   • INRAE’s 95-site Swiss survey and AWRI’s Montilla–Moriles PDO comparison map how vineyard microbiomes define terroir and wine volatile profiles.

07Value chains and production pipelines

Industrial pipeline of wine microbiology (OIV standards / FDA-TTB / EU wine regulation)

┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 1. Vineyard microbiome    │ ───> │ 2. Harvest & inoculation  │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘
                                                  │
                                                  ▼
┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 4. Malolactic fermentation│ <─── │ 3. Alcoholic fermentation │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘
               │
               ▼
┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 5. Biocontrol/stabilization│ ───> │ 6. Aging & bottling      │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘

Stage 1: Vineyard microbiome

The terroir microbial community across soil, bark and berries (profiled by INRAE/AWRI surveys) sets the native-microbe baseline of the must; the output is the vineyard microbiome signature.

Stage 2: Harvest & inoculation

Grapes are harvested and the must inoculated with a selected S. cerevisiae strain (Fermentis Enoferm T306); the output is inoculated must.

Stage 3: Alcoholic fermentation

The selected yeast converts sugars to ethanol and varietal aroma compounds; the output is young wine.

Stage 4: Malolactic fermentation

Malolactic bacteria convert malic to lactic acid, softening acidity and adding complexity; the output is ML-fermented wine.

Stage 5: Biocontrol / stabilization

Chitosan + yeast-fraction tools (LAFFORT FLORACONTROL) control spoilage microbes and oxidation; the output is stabilized wine.

Stage 6: Aging & bottling

The stabilized wine is aged and bottled under OIV / FDA-TTB / EU wine-regulation microbial-stability controls; the output is bottled wine expressing the terroir microbiome.