(Decanter) - Scientists in Australia have sequenced the Brettanomyces genome – a breakthrough that will ‘future-proof’ the industry against spoilage by the yeast organism known as brett. In what the Australian Wine Research Institute is calling a world first for Australian wine, the discovery will give winemakers a competitive advantage in managing brett, which can spoil wine with medicinal or metallic characters, the AWRI said. ‘Sequencing the brett genome, which reveals its genetic blueprint, means the Australian wine industry can future-proof its strategy against brett and the risk of spoilage,’ AWRI managing director Professor Sakkie Pretorius said.