I cannot imagine a more delectable way to learn about microbiology than a visit to The Chateau Elan Winery. This winery is in the heart of Braselton, Georgia just less than an hour away from the metropolitan Atlanta. The winery is also a resort. Upon arrival there is a beautiful mansion surrounded by fields of greenery that alludes to the mansion and garden of Versailles. I opted for the standard public tour which features tours of the vineyards, tasting room and production facility. We started with enjoying a glass of white wine in the tasting room.

Then, we moved on the field. With a closer look of the field, I notice that the climate was quite hot and dry. The plants did not seem to be in striving conditions. The reason being that stressful environment makes a more aromatic and flavorful grapes due to the stress hormones released. We further get to look at the importance of the composition and physical characteristics of soil that would make great grapes.

Lastly, we get to the production facility containing thousands of wine barrels. Here, the wine attendant briefly goes over the most important process where sugars from the grape juice is converted to wine. This important role is carried out by the yeast that was inoculated into the tanks. Tanks storing the grapes must be in a anoxic condition for fermentation to occur. A popular yeast strain used to convert glucose into ethanol is the Saccharomyces. At the site, the microbe is invisible of course, but I could definitely smell them. As a wine enthusiast and a self proclaimed sommelier, the role of this microbe in the winemaking definitely called out to me.