根据本周发表在《Scientific Reports》上的一则研究显示，酿酒酵母(Saccharomyces cerevisiae)不同的遗传种群可以对葡萄酒的味道和香气产生影响。

    具有相同或者高度相似的遗传背景的作物在不同地区能产生具有独特物理和感官特征的产品。以前人们认为这种作物的地区差异是由基因与当地的土壤，天气和农业时间中的互动产生的。但是，农产品当中微生物和地区特征之间的关系，又叫风土(terroir)被认为是存在的，但是并没有被证实。

    通过在在新西兰六个主要的葡萄酒产区使用六种不同的酿酒酵母，Sarah Knight,Matthew Goddard和他们的研究团队研究了酿酒酵母对于葡萄酒的风土影响。研究者测量了39种来自包括酯类和醇在内的化合物的浓度，这些化合物都来自酵母发酵葡萄酒的过程，会影响味道和香气。研究者发现，39种化合物中有29种都会随着不同的酵母地理来源而出现变化。

    研究者指出，其他种类的真菌和细菌也可能影响葡萄酒的特征，这一方面需要进一步的研究。

    原文链接：Regional microbial signatures positively correlate with differential wine phenotypes: evidence for a microbial aspect to terroir

    原文摘要：Many crops display differential geographic phenotypes and sensorial signatures, encapsulated by the concept of terroir. The drivers behind these differences remain elusive, and the potential contribution of microbes has been ignored until recently. Significant genetic differentiation between microbial communities and populations from different geographic locations has been demonstrated, but crucially it has not been shown whether this correlates with differential agricultural phenotypes or not. Using wine as a model system, we utilize the regionally genetically differentiated population of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in New Zealand and objectively demonstrate that these populations differentially affect wine phenotype, which is driven by a complex mix of chemicals. These findings reveal the importance of microbial populations for the regional identity of wine, and potentially extend to other important agricultural commodities. Moreover, this suggests that long-term implementation of methods maintaining differential biodiversity may have tangible economic imperatives as well as being desirable in terms of employing agricultural practices that increase responsible environmental stewardship.