A Guide to Noble Rot Wines

A Guide to Noble Rot Wines

Why Noble Rot? The whole world seems moving towards lighter wine styles, giving a momentum to the market of sweet and crisp whites. When it comes to sweet wines, there are many ways a dessert wine gains its sweetness. The most popular sweet styles are Noble Rot, Late Harvest, Straw Wines and Ice Wines. This […]

Noble Rot Wines

Why Noble Rot?

The whole world seems moving towards lighter wine styles, giving a momentum to the market of sweet and crisp whites. When it comes to sweet wines, there are many ways a dessert wine gains its sweetness. The most popular sweet styles are Noble Rot, Late Harvest, Straw Wines and Ice Wines. This guide will help you gain knowledge on the very popular Noble Rot wines. Unctuous and rich with flavours of barley sugar and candied citrus, these wines belong to ‘the most famous sweet wines in the world’ category.

What is Noble Rot?

Noble Rot is the affectionate name given to Botrytis Cinerea – a fungus that weakens the grape skins in apt conditions (foggy and humid mornings followed by warm and dry afternoons). This fungus causes water to evaporate from grapes, resulting in sweet and concentrated flavours. It is one of the very few fungal diseases that are welcomed by the viticulturists in their vineyards.

Where does Noble Rot happen?

Noble Rot tends to happen in those areas of vineyards that are closer to the river. The mist from the river on cool autumn mornings condenses on the grapes which encourages the noble rot fungus. It might happen anywhere in the vineyard depending upon how wet the year was.
Generally, the period of rain followed by the dry weather of the harvest season create the perfect conditions to develop Botrytis. Soft skin white varieties like Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Tokaji Furmint along with Merlot and Pinot Noir in red varieties are more susceptible to get Noble Rot during harvest season.

How are Noble Rot wines made?

The process of making Noble Rot wines is complex and long. Manual harvesting is done as the grapes become stickier with this fungus. The fermentation is very slow as Botrytis kills yeast, hence it needs a regular monitoring. The wine undergoes more frequent racking before getting bottled. Despite being such a complex process, winemakers enjoy making Noble Rot wines because the output is really cherishing. These wines are sweet, have complex flavours and are highly suitable for cellaring.

10 Noble Rot wines you must try!

Australia produces a great range of noble rot wines, the most famous being De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon which has gained international attention since its first vintage produced in 1982. Listed here are some outstanding Noble Rot wines that have made their mark in Australian wine industry and are worth trying.

Also, check out our blog on Noble Rot wines food pairing to know which dishes taste best with these Botrytis Cinerea wines. Happy Wine-ing!

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