What do Botrytized wines taste like?

Adds Flavor Sommeliers often use the words “honey,” “beeswax” and “ginger” to describe the flavors that botrytis adds to wine. This could be because Noble Rot wines often have higher levels of a special aroma compound called phenylacetaldehyde. This compound is also commonly found in buckwheat and milk chocolate.

Why is it called noble rot?

Instead of destroying a crop, the fungus creates grapes with incredibly concentrated flavor that can make some of the world’s sweetest, most precious wines. The fungus, Botrytis cinerea, is more affectionately known as “noble rot.” It’s the same kind of rot that spoils strawberries and soft fruit with greyish fuzz.

What kind of wine is Sauternes?

sweet white wines
What type of wine is Sauternes? Sauternes are sweet white wines, generally called dessert wines. But they are not fortified wines like Port wines are or some fortified sweet Muscat wines – meaning that no alcohol is added to stop the fermentation.

What does noble rot do?

Noble rot, also known as ‘Botrytis Cinerea’, is a fungus that attacks healthy ripe grapes. It weakens the skins of the grape which, in turn, accelerates the evaporation of the water, causing the fruit to shrivel and start to look more like a raisin.

What is Pinot Noir called in German?

Spätburgunder –
In fact, Germany is the world’s third largest producer of Pinot Noir. The German name for the grape is Spätburgunder – late (spät) ripening pinot (burgunder).

What does Chianti Classico refer to?

Chianti Classico is a dry, red wine made only in a specific part of Tuscany in central Italy. Here’s how to make sure you’re getting the real deal. 1. It can be made in just one place in the world. Specifically in central Tuscany, in the mountain-air-cooled hills between Siena and Florence by the Monti Chianti.

Why is Sauternes so expensive?

Even so, production is a hit-or-miss proposition, with widely varying harvests from vintage to vintage. Wines from Sauternes, especially the Premier Cru Supérieur estate Château d’Yquem, can be very expensive, largely due to the very high cost of production.

Is Sauternes a good wine?

Sauternes represents the rarer, sweeter side of Bordeaux wine. With their complexity and zesty acidity, these wines work perfectly as aperitifs and as dessert wine options. Sauternes wine can age beautifully, making it an excellent investment wine as well.

What grapes are infected with noble rot?

Some of the most popular noble rot wine grape varieties include Semillon, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Muscat.

Is Bordeaux the same as Pinot Noir?

Bordeaux whites are usually blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Meanwhile, Burgundy’s red wines are made from Pinot Noir (the Beaujolais region is technically considered part of Burgundy as well, and the red wines there are made from Gamay), while white Burgundies are made from the Chardonnay grape.

Is there a difference between Chianti and Chianti Classico?

In short: Chianti and Chianti Classico are two profoundly different appellations. Chianti Classico is produced within the historical Chianti district, while Chianti wine is produced outside the historical area.

What is botrytized wine?

Botrytis modifies many of the relevant chemical compounds that shape flavor and aroma (including terpenes, which may be where medicinal notes in botrytized wine derive), and synthesizes new ones such as sotonol, which is usually associated with honeyed aromas.

What is Botrytis cinerea and how does it affect wine?

Botrytis cinerea is present throughout the year in most vineyards, but will only develop and affect fruit when conditions suit. It can live through the winter as mycelium (small cylindrical filaments) or sclerotium (fruiting bodies) within dormant buds, vine bark or on plant debris on the ground.

Why is Botrytis Wine so popular in France?

The natural weather helps. Sauternes is probably the best known region that makes wine botrytis. Botrytis takes advantage of autumn weather patterns specific that region. The Sauternes region is located 40 km (25 mi) southeast of the city of Bordeaux along the Garonne river and its tributary, the Ciron.

How to pick a Botrytis Wine in a blind tasting?

Picking a botrytis wine in a blind tasting usually involves searching for a combination of the above characteristics with some more medicinal aromas, with notes of wet absorbent cotton or the smell of wet sticking plaster in the shower. To join the conversation, comment on our social media channels.