Differences in organic Pinot Noir wine production systems correlated with microbiome analysis, sensory characteristics and volatile composition

The action of microorganisms on grape must during the fermentation process contributes significantly to the organoleptic properties of wine. The influence of the environment on microbial growth and metabolism is also well recognized. Organic winemakers rely on indigenous yeasts to drive their fermentation processes, however there are few studies that examine the possible influence of environmental factors on fermentation, and on sensory attributes of the finished product. We previously used a community metabarcoding approach to analyse the microbiome associated with organic wine produced in two differing environmental systems; outdoors (vineyard) and indoors (winery). The resultant wine from both systems were then assessed for aroma composition using GC-MS, and sensory attributes by a group of wine experts. Possible correlations between the identified microbial populations and sensory attributes were investigated to determine potential drivers. The results confirm the crucial role of the yeast, Saccharomyces in the modification of wine aroma and flavour. Moreover, analysis of the output of differential gene expression analysis (DESeq2) showed that the genus Gluconobacter might influence the ‘Mouth feel’ (astringency/tannin) and taste (bitterness) attributes of wines. Some volatile compounds were uniquely associated with a single wine. This suggests that measured differences in microbial community composition might play roles in their synthesis. Collectively, these results contribute to understanding the interplay of the complex microbial community matrix present in ‘wild’ ferments in terms of sensory and chemical characteristics of wine.