Oenococcus oeni is the main responsible agent for malolactic fermentation in wine, an unpredictable and erratic process in winemaking. To address this, we have constructed and exhaustively curated the first genome-scale metabolic model of Oenococcus oeni, comprising 660 reactions, 536 metabolites and 454 genes. In silico experiments revealed that nutritional requirements are predicted with an accuracy of 93%, while 14 amino acids were found to be essential for the growth of this bacterial species. When the model was applied to determine the non-growth associated maintenance, results showed that O. oeni grown at 12% ethanol concentration spent 30 times more ATP to stay alive than in the absence of ethanol. Most of this ATP is employed for extruding protons outside of the cell. A positive relationship was also found between specific consumption rates of fructose, amino acids, oxygen and malic acid and the specific production rates of erythritol, lactate and acetate, according to the ethanol content of the medium. The metabolic model reconstructed here represents a unique tool to predict the successful completion of wine malolactic fermentation carried out either by different strains of Oenococcus oeni, as well as at any particular physico-chemical composition of wine. It will also allow the development of consortium metabolic models that could be applied to winemaking to simulate and understand the interactions between O. oeni and other microorganisms that share this ecological niche.

The quality of red wine is directly associated with its phenolic composition, which can be controlled using several viticultural techniques that affect the vegetative/productive balance of the plants, such as summer pruning and cluster thinning. However, these techniques may also involve high costs and production losses. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of summer pruning and cluster thinning on the phenolic compositions of grapes and wine over three consecutive seasons. The treatments included long (120 cm shoot length) and short (60 cm shoot length) summer pruning and 50% cluster thinning with control treatments conducted in vineyards with cvs. Cabernet-Sauvignon and Carmenere and located in a warm area (Cachapoal, Chile) and cvs. Cabernet-Sauvignon and Pinot Noir located in a cold area (Casablanca, Chile). These treatments generated differences in the microclimatic conditions (radiation and temperature) and the vegetative/productive balance of the plants. Depending on whether the grapevine vigor was high or low, short summer pruning increased or decreased the phenolic composition. The effects of cluster thinning varied according to the natural productivity of each season, increasing the phenolic composition when the natural yields were high and producing no significant effects when they were low. The decision to make these viticultural practices to improve the phenolic composition of the wine depends on the seasonal vineyard vigor and potential productivity. Thus, measures are only applied when a severe imbalance in the vegetative/productive equilibrium occurs or when the microclimatic conditions of the vineyard must be improved.

Malolactic fermentation (MLF) is responsible for the decarboxylation of l-malic into lactic acid in most red wines and some white wines. It reduces the acidity of wine, improves flavor complexity and microbiological stability. Despite its industrial interest, the MLF mechanism is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to provide new insights into the role of pH on the binding of malic acid to the malolactic enzyme (MLE) of Oenococcus oeni. To this end, sequence similarity networks and phylogenetic analysis were used to generate an MLE homology model, which was further refined by molecular dynamics simulations. The resulting model, together with quantum polarized ligand docking (QPLD), was used to describe the MLE binding pocket and pose of l-malic acid (MAL) and its l-malate (−1) and (−2) protonation states (MAL⁻ and MAL²⁻, respectively). MAL²⁻ has the lowest ∆G_binding, followed by MAL⁻ and MAL, with values of −23.8, −19.6, and −14.6 kJ/mol, respectively, consistent with those obtained by isothermal calorimetry thermodynamic (ITC) assays. Furthermore, molecular dynamics and MM/GBSA results suggest that only MAL²⁻ displays an extended open conformation at the binding pocket, satisfying the geometrical requirements for Mn²⁺ coordination, a critical component of MLE activity. These results are consistent with the intracellular pH conditions of O. oeni cells—ranging from pH 5.8 to 6.1—where the enzymatic decarboxylation of malate occurs.

Bolivian viticulture has acquired an incipient notoriety in the international wine market due to the production of high-altitude wines with a high antioxidant potential. Agricultural regions in the Andes present an advantage for wine production since UV-B radiation reaching the earth’s surface increases with altitude and varies with latitude, promoting the activation of plant defense mechanisms responsible for the synthesis of secondary metabolites. UV‐B radiation upregulates the biosynthesis of nitrogen, phenolic and volatile compounds that contribute to wine flavour. It is thought that the incident UV-B radiation in the Bolivian valleys makes it possible to obtain wines with high phenolic and aromatic potential, but the published results are not entirely conclusive. This manuscript addressed the geological and climatic features that affect Bolivian viticulture, and we reviewed the field studies carried out regarding the effects of altitude and UV-B radiation on flavour components of grapes and wines from Bolivian viticultural valleys. A high antioxidant capacity and trans-resveratrol content are found in grapes and wines from high-altitude Bolivian vineyards, including when they are compared to samples from different wine countries. However, high UV-B radiation can result in bunch sunburn affecting some physico-chemical parameters of the produced wines. A limited number of studies have been conducted in this field, although this region presents valuable research potential for quantifying the effects of biologically damaging radiation on the synthesis of flavour components in grapes; some studies were not well controlled scientifically.