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What does noble rot wine mean?

Noble rot wine is a kind of very precious sweet wine. It is brewed by a kind of effect called “noble mold” attached to the grape skin, hence the name “noble rot wine”.

The advent of noble rot wine is purely accidental, or it can be said to have great inevitability. One year, because the grapes were harvested too late, the grapes infected with “aristocratic mold” were in a semi-rotten and shriveled state. Usually people can only abandon it, but a Hungarian fruit grower named it has used it to make an unusual sweet wine, which is called “imperial wine”.

As we all know, there are many types of molds, yeasts, bacteria and other microorganisms that can adhere to grape skins, and the special feature of “aristocratic mold” is that if it adheres to unripe grape skins, it will cause grapes to rot. , so fruit farmers hate it; but if it is attached to the ripe grape skin, it will multiply and penetrate the grape skin, which will promote the volatilization of the water in the grape, and the effective ingredients such as sugar and organic acid in the grape will be highly concentrated status.

This kind of bacteria can also carry out a certain degree of effective natural fermentation so that the final product shows a superior style in a similar sweet wine. Just imagine if Tokayiro had no experience in grape planting and grape making, could he have such a different idea and practice? Therefore, the birth of noble rot wine, like the birth of many new things in the world, has great inevitability in accident.

The world-famous Sortain wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France is also a noble rot wine, which is brewed by using the “noble rot effect” of Botrytis cinerea. Its technological characteristics are: adding original brandy or sulfur dioxide before the natural fermentation is completed to stop the fermentation, and then after long-term storage and aging, it becomes the original wine. This is a typical very sweet white wine. Its wine aroma is specific, the fruit aroma is weak, the taste is strong, and the wine is full-bodied.

Brewing

To make botrytis sweet liquor, white grapes infected with botrytis cinerea must be used. This tiny mold can cause the grapes to lose water, thus increasing the sugar content.

Main: Semillion grapes have the characteristics of thin skin and easy to be infected with mold. Therefore, it is the most important variety for brewing Bordeaux noble rot sweet wine. For example, Chateau Climens uses 100% Semillion, while the average winery only uses about 70 to 80%.

Secondary: Sauvignon blanc grapes are used by the winery for another 20% blending to add acidity and aroma. The Sauvignon blanc infection conditions are not as good as Semillion.

Again: Muscadelle is musky, and sometimes wineries add some Muscadelle to it.

Maturation process

Golden (dore): At the end of September, the grapes turn from green to golden yellow. At this point the grapes are quite sweet, containing more than 200 grams of sugar per liter.

Pourri plein: The grapes turn from golden yellow to reddish-brown after being infected with the bacteria.

Confit: The mycelium penetrates the grape skin and absorbs the moisture and sugar inside the grape. After such dehydration, the sugar content becomes more concentrated, and the raisins can be harvested when they shrink into the so-called confit of noble rot wine. At this point, the sweetness has reached 340 grams of sugar per liter or even higher.

Features: The color of noble rot sweet wine is golden, and it will become amber or orange red with age. In addition to being very sweet, noble rot grapes will also produce glycerin and special aromas that make the taste more moist, such as dried fruit, Intense aromas of honey, raisins and noble rot.

Origin of noble rot wine

Noble rot wine comes from the famous wine region of Bordeaux.

Looking at the map, several districts producing sweet wine: Sauternes, Bassac, Cadiac, and Mont Sainte-Croix are all located at the confluence of the Gironde and Siron rivers. When the Xiron River flows from the Lande region into the warmer Gironde River with icy low-temperature water, the cold and heat meet, creating a smog-like moisture at the confluence of the two rivers, shrouding the nearby vineyards live.

However, in the harvest season in September, this moisture is mostly dissipated by the evaporation of sunlight before noon, and the sunlight in the afternoon shines arbitrarily on the ground, and the dry light and heat will evaporate the moisture in the overripe grapes little by little. , which is the key to brewing noble rot sweet wine.

Production area

• Sauternes in Bordeaux, France (one of the three most expensive wine regions)
• Rheingau, Germany (one of the three most expensive wine producing areas)
• Hungary Tokaji (one of the three major noble rot wine producing areas)
• Asti from Piedmont, Italy (Moscato D’asti micro-sparkling wine)
• sherry region of spain
• Portuguese

Dessert wine is made from dried grapes found in both southern and northern Italy, such as the Valpolicella Triangle, Sicily

• Australia
• New Zealand
• Chile

Type

1. Sweet white wines not exceeding 15 degrees are divided into five types: Late harvest, Noble Rot (Noble), Icewine, Passito and Moscato D’asti.

2. Sweet fortified wines between 15 and 22 degrees include sweet port, sweet sherry and Muscat natural dessert wine (Vin Doux Naturel).

The world’s three most expensive wines

Trockenbeerenauslese in Germany

Sauternes in France

Hungary Tokaji