Biotechnological Strategies for Ethanol Reduction in Wine

Abstract

In recent years, wine producers have become increasingly interested in partial or total dealcoholisation of wines due to changing consumer preferences, increased attention to health aspects of alcohol consumption, and the impact of climate change on sugar concentration in grapes. Strategies for decreasing alcohol content in wines include pre-fermentation, fermentation, and post-fermentation techniques. These approaches allow for the reduction of fermentable sugars before fermentation, limit the alcohol production during fermentation, and separate alcohol after fermentation. From a biotechnological perspective, yeasts play a critical role in alcoholic fermentation, directly influencing the final alcohol content of the product. The use of non-Saccharomyces yeasts in co-inoculation or sequential inoculation with Saccharomyces yeasts represents a promising biotechnological strategy for the reduction of alcohol in wine.