Bioprospecting Australian microbial genetic diversity

An important aspect of terroir, particularly where spontaneous fermentations are performed, is very likely to be related to differences in wine microbiota. Focused microbiological research has shown that both vineyards and spontaneous fermentations contain diverse mixtures of microbial species. However, lack of knowledge on the microbial species present is a major impediment to the exploitation of native microbial germplasm and spontaneous fermentation by the Australian wine sector. This project will focus on developing new knowledge of wild wine microbiota and how it can be harnessed to achieve winemaking goals.