LAUSR

Non-Saccharomyces yeast species are nowadays recognized for their impact in wine´s chemical composition and sensorial properties. In addition, new interest has been given to the commercial exploitation of non-Saccharomyces starter cultures in the wine sector. However, during many years, these yeast species were considered sources of contamination in wine production and conservation, mainly due to high levels of volatile acidity obtained. The present manuscript systematizes eighty years of literature describing non-Saccharomyces yeast species isolated from grapes and/or grape musts. A link between each reference, the accepted taxonomic name of each species, and their geographical occurrence is presented, compiling information for 293 species, in a total of 231 citations. One major focus of this work relates with the isolation of non-Saccharomyces yeasts from grapevines usually ignored in most sampling studies, also as isolation from damaged grapes. These particular niches are sources of specific yeast species, not identified in other most explored environments. These yeasts have a high potential to be explored for important and diversified biotechnological applications.