Wine fermentation constitutes a transient microbial ecosystem wherein numerous yeast species, originating from the grape surface, engage in interactions. This leads to an ecological succession anticipated to culminate in the ultimate dominance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The diversity of yeast species found in grape musts has a direct impact on the final chemical and aroma complexity of the resulting wines. Understanding the molecular and ecological interaction patterns between wine yeast communities is essential to harness diverse yeast functionalities, with the final aim of producing tailored high-quality wines. 

In this seminar we will introduce the expectable phylogenetic and functional diversity in wine yeast communities, we will discuss how to engineer wine yeast communities (top-down and bottom-up), and we will finally conclude about the necessity of adopting the adequate theoretical framework to address challenging questions in applied ecology and to finally improve microbiome-based industrial processes.