Role of social wasps in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/07/26/1208362109

The link is only to an abstract. There have been many debates on this wine board, over where the Saccharomyces cerevisiae that finishes the ferment in unninocculated fermentations, was coming from.

It’s very interesting because many of us were taught that wasps were only able to transmit yeast strains that are considered spoilage organisms but not Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yet, in new wineries, where wines have been made without yeast innoculation by human hand, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was inexplicably finishing the fermentations.

As Bon Jovi said, fermentation is a social disease.

Heard a story about that on NPR recently. Wasp terroir.

Look- we aren’t social because we are WASPs. We happen to be WASPS who enjoy socializing. Is that so wrong?

There was an article on sfgate recently about a brewer isolating a yeast from his beard hair to use. I don’t know why, but the wine community seems very resistant to the concept that humans are the number one vector of saccharomyces cerevisiae into wine. Is it the yuck factor? It thrives on your skin, on your hair and in your mouth. Where’s the mystery?

When my ex-bf was in brewing school, a friend of his used/cultured a yeast from his girlfriend. You know…