Research Progress Reports
PROGRESS REPORTS The role of microbes in regional Pinot Noir quality and style Sarah Knight1, Jess Ryder1, Soon Lee1, Neill Culley2, Diana Hawkins1, Katie ParishVirtue2, Bruno Fedrizzi2 and Mat Goddard1,3 1 School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, NZ 2 School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, NZ 3 School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, UK 17-107 PINOT NOIR is New Zealand’s largest red variety and is surpassed only by Sauvignon Blanc in total production – and it’s growing. Pinot Noir is produced across New Zealand with each region boasting high quality, distinctive styles, intriguing and engaging consumers. With the start of the joint MBIE-NZWRC funded Pinot Noir Programme in 2017 the New Zealand Wine Industry has an exciting opportunity to advance its understanding of Pinot Noir quality and production. This project aligns itself with the wider Pinot Noir and Vineyard Ecosystems Programmes to extend our understanding of
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how microbes may influence and contribute to Pinot Noir quality and regional distinctiveness. Microbes impact wine quality at all stages of the grape growing and winemaking process. In the vineyard they contribute both positively in their nutrient cycling roles, and negatively in their potential to cause vine and fruit diseases. In the winery, microbes (particularly yeast) are essential to the winemaking process, converting sugars in grape juice to ethanol and a suite of compounds important to the flavour and aroma of wine. Different species and strains of microbes have dif-
NZ WINEGROWER FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019
ferent effects and therefore influence wine quality in different ways. Previous research from the Goddard lab shows evidence of regionally distinct microbial communities as well as differences between grape varieties; however the vast majority of our knowledge lies with Sauvignon Blanc and we are lacking data for Pinot Noir. Pilot data on Pinot Noir suggests there are differences in yeast communities between West Auckland, Martinborough, Marlborough and Central Otago but sampling was limited to one vineyard in each region and thus more investigation is required. If
this regional differentiation in microbial communities is verified for Pinot Noir, microbes could potentially affect wine sensory characteristics and quality differently in each region. To investigate the microbial communities associated with Pinot Noir vineyards and winemaking in New Zealand we sampled six vineyards in each of Martinborough, Marlborough and Central Otago during the 2018 vintage as these regions cover over 80 percent of New Zealand’s Pinot Noir production. The 18 sites were selected to cover the geographic span of each region and to align