Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) constitute an important
microbial group in wine production, being involved in
both beneficial and detrimental bioconversions. LAB can
significantly improve wine quality by conducting malolactic
fermentation (Lonvaud-Funel, 1999), while they
may also cause wine spoilage through the production of
undesirable secondary metabolites (Liu, 2002). Grapes
represent an untapped reservoir for LAB species involved
in winemaking; therefore, grape bacterial diversity has
systematically attracted scientific attention (Bae et al., 2006;
Nisiotou et al., 2011). LAB species associated with grapes
mainly belong to the genera Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc
(Bae et al., 2006; and citations therein). As yet, Weissella
paramesenteroides is the only species of the genus Weissella