ReviewSynthetic biology stretching the realms of possibility in wine yeast research

- The emerging science of Synthetic Biology - including genome engineering and DNA editing technologies - is taking yeast strain development into a totally new realm of possibility.
- The first example of how future wine strain development might be impacted by synthetic Biology technologies, is the de novo production of the raspberry ketone aroma compound in a semi-synthetic wine yeast.
- The international Yeast 2.0 (or Sc2.0) project, aimed at the synthesis of the entire genome of a laboratory strain of S. cerevisiae, is expected to accelerate the design of improved wine yeasts.
- There will be robust debates as to whether the wine industry should make room for Synthetic Biology in their toolkit of technologies to support their relentless pursuit of making 'the best wine ever'.
- The wine industry's long history of being reliant upon continuous innovation installs the necessary confidence that it has all the makings to be, once again, up for the challenges of the future.

It took several millennia to fully understand the scientific intricacies of the process through which grape juice is turned into wine. This yeast-driven fermentation process is still being perfected and advanced today. Motivated by ever-changing consumer preferences and the belief that the 'best' wine is yet to be made, numerous approaches are being pursued to improve the process of yeast fermentation and the quality of wine. Central to recent enhancements in winemaking processes and wine quality is the development of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains with improved robustness, fermentation efficiencies and sensory properties. The emerging science of Synthetic Biology - including genome engineering and DNA editing technologies - is taking yeast strain development into a totally new realm of possibility. The first example of how future wine strain development might be impacted by these new 'history-making' Synthetic Biology technologies, is the de novo production of the raspberry ketone aroma compound, 4-[4-hydroxyphenyl]butan-2-one, in a wine yeast containing a synthetic DNA cassette. This article explores how this breakthrough and the imminent outcome of the international Yeast 2.0 (or Sc2.0) project, aimed at the synthesis of the entire genome of a laboratory strain of S. cerevisiae, might accelerate the design of improved wine yeasts.