Natural wines — produced without synthetic pesticides, with minimal intervention in fermentation — have a demonstrably different fungal community from their pesticide-treated counterparts grown in the same region.
Researchers identified 19 unique fungal species in natural wines that were absent in pesticide-treated wines from adjacent vineyards. The most abundant was Penicillium jiangxiense, a species known for producing antitumor secondary metabolites. The natural wines harbored greater fungal diversity, while the pesticide-treated wines had more uniform, less diverse communities.
The finding is not that pesticides kill fungi — that is expected. The finding is that the fungi that survive in the absence of pesticides are qualitatively different organisms with distinct metabolic capabilities, not just more of the same fungi in greater numbers. The 19 unique species are not depleted versions of the standard community; they are an alternative community that only assembles when the chemical suppression is removed.
Terroir — the idea that wine reflects its place of origin — has traditionally focused on soil, climate, and grape variety. This research adds the microbial dimension: the fungi that colonize grapes and persist through fermentation contribute flavor compounds, aromatic precursors, and metabolic products that shape the wine's character. Remove the pesticides and you don't just get “the same wine, dirtier.” You get a wine whose microbial collaborators are a different cast of characters, producing different chemistry.
The intervention (pesticide application) doesn't just remove pests. It removes participants.