Taxonomic reclassification of Candida stellata strains reveals frequent occurrence of Candida zemplinina in wine fermentation.

Yeasts identified as Candida stellata are frequently associated with overripe and botrytized grapes and can survive in the fermenting must until the completion of vinification. The molecular taxonomic examination of 41 strains deposited in six culture collections or described in the literature as C. stellata revealed that most of those isolated from grapes or wines belonged to Candida zemplinina and related species. This confusion around the taxonomic position of the strains may account for the rather controversial descriptions of the oenological properties of C. stellata in the literature. Because the authors did not find it among strains newly isolated from botrytized grapes and wines, it was proposed that it is usually C. zemplinina rather than C. stellata that occurs on grapes and in wine fermentation.