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French organic wine production considerably grew in the last ten years, but the producers’ enthusiasm bumps into many restraints and a higher chance of low harvests due to cryptogamic diseases. The use of resistant varieties appears to be an answer in the context of organic practices guided by the limitation of inputs both in the vineyard and in the wine cellar. 

Resorting to spontaneous fermentation is common in organic vinification, but its success depends on the presence of fermentation-inducing species on the ripe grapes.

No data is known on the microbiota associated with resistant varieties, which is why we want to study it by using metabarcoding during the berries’ ripening on a wide array of varieties grown with organic and zero-phyto methods.

Two INRAE experimental domains and a private domain were chosen in three wine-growing regions to assess regional abiotic factors’ impact on disease pressure. The impact of microbian communities on the fermentation’s proceeding and the final product’s quality will be assessed from an analytical and a sensorial point of view.

The results of this project, which combines viticulture and oenology, should allow us to propose avenues to control spontaneous fermentation and the final quality of the wines produced with these new varieties.

• Duration: 2021 - 2023
• Coordination : INRAE UMR SPO (Cécile Neuvéglise)
• Partners: UE Vigne Bordeaux, UE Pech Rouge, UR MaIAGE, USC Œnologie