What is noble rot in wine?
Noble Rot, officially known as Botrytis Cinerea, is a good fungus, which in the right climatic conditions attacks very ripe, thin-skinned grapes. As a result of this benevolent attack, grapes start to shrivel like raisins. Grape flavors and sugars become more concentrated.
Which grapes are used to make noble rot wines?
Some of the most popular noble rot wine grape varieties include Semillon, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Muscat.
What conditions are needed for noble rot to develop?
For Botrytis Cinerea to become noble rot it needs a period of early morning humidity followed by warm, dry and sunny conditions. The humidity is often early morning mists generated from nearby lakes and rivers. This humidity fosters the ideal environment for botrytis cinerea to attack grapes.
How is noble late harvest wine made?
Noble Late Harvest or NLH are wines made from grapes infected with noble rot. Officially known as Botrytis Cinerea, which is a fungus which attaches itself to the skins of grapes.
What does noble rot look like?
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.
Why is it called noble rot?
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. So what makes this mold noble? It comes down to a fine balance of moisture, sunlight and temperature.
What does noble rot smell like?
A complex of flavors – Noble Rot causes grapes to produce higher levels of phenylacetaldehyde, which gives off aromas of honey, beeswax and ginger.
Does Botrytis wine go off?
Botrytis is, in almost all cases ‘bad’ for wine grapes. There is on very specific wine style that is can help, called “Noble rot”. Generally it causes a bunch rot that is bad for grape quality, it turns grapes mouldy, as mention above commonly known as “Bunch Rot”, “Botrytis Rot” or “Grey Rot”.
Should late harvest wine be chilled?
Most late harvest wines are served cold, around 45–55ºF (7–13ºC), and poured in 2.5–3 oz. If you do not have dessert wine glasses, simply use white wine glasses instead.
Is raisin wine a late harvest wine?
Late Harvest: The term Late harvest is usually used to describe a sweet wine, sometimes called a ‘dessert wine’, with a common example being a Late Harvest Riesling. Late Harvest grapes typically look like hanging raisins, but they have naturally dehydrated – while still hanging onto the vine.
What is noble rot and what does it do to wine?
What Is Noble Rot? Noble rot is an infestation by a fungus called Botrytis cinerea. This fungus dehydrates wine grapes and forces them to concentrate all their natural sugar in a small amount of remaining juice. When pressed, these infected grapes produce very sweet must that winemakers can process to excellent dessert wines.
What kind of wine is made of rotten grapes?
Sometimes called botrytized wine or botrytis wine, noble rot wine is any wine made with grapes affected by the Botrytis cinerea fungus (aka botrytis bunch rot, grey rot, grey mold, or edelfäule in German). While it’s true that winemakers have long struggled to combat mold in their vineyards (and cellars), in the case of noble rot, it’s all good.
Where did the myth of noble rot come from?
From this year on, late harvest (German: Spätlese) became an intentional practice. The French also have their birth myth of noble rot wines. They believe that in 1836, a wine dealer named Focke waited until the end of the autumn rains before bringing in the harvest. Until then, noble rot had dried most of the grapes.
How does noble rot stop grapes from ripening?
Ripe, healthy grapes must still be on the vine as fall begins, when misty mornings can provide the moisture that the fungus needs to thrive. It will pierce a grape’s skin to feast on its juice. After a few hours, sunshine and otherwise dry conditions must follow. This evaporates moisture and stops the fungus in its tracks.