# Wine & terroir microbiome

The microbial layer of winemaking — selected Saccharomyces wine yeasts, malolactic bacteria, microbial biocontrol tools and vineyard terroir-microbiome science that translate a vineyard's microbial identity (terroir) into controlled, expressive fermentation.

Source: https://en.bioecon.ru/technology/wine-terroir-microbiome/
Updated: 2026-08-18



## Overview 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

| Level | Description | Key inputs/outputs |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Vineyard Microbiome** | the terroir microbial community (soil, bark, berries) shapes must microbes | **In:** terroir, vines. **Out:** vineyard microbiome. |
| **Harvest & Inoculation** | harvest grapes and inoculate with selected *S. cerevisiae* | **In:** grapes, yeast inoculant. **Out:** inoculated must. |
| **Alcoholic Fermentation** | selected yeast converts sugars to ethanol + aroma compounds | **In:** inoculated must. **Out:** young wine. |
| **Malolactic Fermentation** | ML bacteria convert malic to lactic acid, softening acidity | **In:** young wine, ML bacteria. **Out:** ML-fermented wine. |
| **Biocontrol / Stabilization** | chitosan + yeast fractions control spoilage and oxidation | **In:** ML wine, biocontrol. **Out:** stabilized wine. |
| **Aging & Bottling** | age and bottle under microbial-stability controls | **In:** stabilized wine. **Out:** bottled wine. |

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).

---

## US

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.

---

## CN

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.

---

## EU

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.

---

## Leading companies and research institutes

| Company / Institute | Country | Key products / platforms | Tech features | Status 2026 |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **LAFFORT** | 🇫🇷 France | *FLORACONTROL microbial biocontrol* | fungal chitosan + inactivated yeast fraction (2026) | Commercial |
| **Lamothe-Abiet** | 🇫🇷 France | *oenological nutrition & yeast products* | 2026 harvest-efficiency innovations | Commercial |
| **Fermentis** | 🇫🇷 France | *Enoferm T306 wine yeast* | Tyrrell's Hunter Valley *S. cerevisiae* isolate | Commercial |
| **INRAE** | 🇫🇷 France | *vineyard terroir-microbiome science* | 95-site Swiss vineyard survey | Research |
| **AWRI** | 🇦🇺 Australia | *terroir-microbiome comparison* | Montilla–Moriles PDO microbiome/volatilome | Research |

---

## Tech 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.

---

## Value 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.