Wine yeasts can be natural hosts for dsRNA, ssRNA viruses and retrotransposon elements. In this study, high-throughput RNA sequencing combined with bioinformatic analyses unveiled the virome associated to 16 Saccharomyces cerevisiae and 8 non-Saccharomyces strains of oenological interest. Results showed the presence of six viruses and two satellite dsRNAs from four different families, two of which—Partitiviridae and Mitoviridae—were not reported before in yeasts, as well as two ORFan contigs of viral origin. According to phylogenetic analysis, four new putative mycoviruses distributed in Totivirus, Cryspovirus, and Mitovirus genera were identified. The majority of commercial S. cerevisiae strains were confirmed to be the host for helper L-A type totiviruses and satellite M dsRNAs associated with the killer phenotype, both in single and mixed infections with L-BC totiviruses, and two viral sequences belonging to a new cryspovirus putative species discovered here for the first time. Moreover, single infection by a narnavirus 20S-related sequence was also found in one S. cerevisiae strain. Considering the non-Saccharomyces yeasts, Starmerella bacillaris hosted four RNAs of viral origin—two clustering in Totivirus and Mitovirus genera, and two ORFans with putative satellite behavior. This study confirmed the infection of wine yeasts by viruses associated with useful technological characteristics and demonstrated the presence of complex mixed infections with unpredictable biological effects.

Flavescence dorée (FD) is a quarantine grapevine disease caused by a phytoplasma transmitted by the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus Ball. FD management relies on compulsory insecticide treatments, roguing of infected plants, and substitution with certified material. Some grapevine cultivars show a spontaneous remission of symptoms (recovery). To determine if recovery is a suitable strategy to co-exist with disease in areas of strong infestation, the qualitative aspects of grapes, musts, and wines obtained from recovered Barbera and Chardonnay grapevines were investigated in two productive vineyards. Following field observations, about 1500 plants in each vineyard were divided into healthy (asymptomatic and negative in phytoplasma molecular diagnosis) and recovered (asymptomatic the year of observation but infected the year before). Maturation curves and microvinification tests followed by oenological and sensory analyses showed that maturation trends of recovered grapes were in line with those from healthy plants and the final qualities of wines were comparable. The spread of FD has strongly increased in Piedmont (Italy) in recent decades. Management strategies to cope with the disease are necessary to preserve traditional wine production. Despite the yield from recovered grapevines is quantitatively lower than that from healthy ones, we showed here that the wine quality is, however, preserved.