How climate change could affect the microbes that ferment grapes and give wine its specific flavours

In an article published on The Conversation, Lincoln University Professor of Microbiology Stephen On and Senior Researcher at Landcare Research Dr Manpreet K Dhami state that the far-reaching consequences of climate change inevitably include the production of foods and beverages, including wine.

In New Zealand, winemaking is an important business, with exports worth more than NZ$2 billion per year.

Earlier studies have already suggested that grapevine characteristics such as flowering and grape sugar ripeness may be linked to climatic changes. But so far, the microbes that ferment grapes have received little attention.

The new research explores how yeasts, bacteria and fungi may be affected by changes in temperature and rainfall.

Read the full article on The Conversation here.