Differences Between Indigenous Yeast Populations in Spontaneously Fermenting Musts From L. and L. Grapes Harvested in the Same Geographic Location.

Yeast communities associated with L. ecosystems have been widely characterized. Less is known, however, about yeast communities present in grapes and fermenting musts from non- ecosystems. Moreover, there are no comparative studies concerning yeast communities in grapes from L. and non- species in vineyards from a shared . In this work, we have used a culture-dependent strategy, phenotypic analyses, and molecular genotyping, to study the most representative yeast species present in spontaneously fermenting musts of grapes harvested from neighboring L. (cv. Malbec) and L. (cv. Isabella) vineyards. Phenotypic analyses of HS production, ethanol tolerance and carbon utilization, on randomly selected strains of each and strains, as well as microsatellite genotyping of isolates from each the Malbec and Isabella grape musts, suggest that L. and L. ecosystems could harbor different yeast strain populations. Thus, microbial communities in exotic species may offer opportunities to look for unique yeast strains that could not be present in conventional L. ecosystems.