Botrytis Cinerea (also known as Noble Rot) is a fungus which can affect many plants and fruits (strawberries, for example, are very sensitive to it). However, it is predominantly ‘used’ in winemaking. Winemakers dread seeing this disease appear in their vineyards, but have learned how to turn it around and use it, on specific occasions, to create marvelous wines. If winemakers spot it in their vineyards which they do not want to use for sweet wines, it will trigger the beginning of the harvest as soon as possible, to limit the effect.
Botrytis Cinerea needs specific environmental conditions to grow in a vineyard. It usually starts developing from early September through October, when the weather has cooled down. The ‘best’ (or worst if you do not want to see it on vineyard) conditions for its development will include cool nights and morning, which bring fog that will deposit a very thin layer of water on the grapes. This is followed by hot sunny days, which will allow the fungus – naturally present in the atmosphere at that time of the year - to develop.
If the weather stays too humid in day time, the fungus will turn into ‘Grey Rot’, which develops very differently, and the grapes won’t be able to be used. The effect caused by the Botrytis Cinerea? It attacks bunches, creating a cover of mold, which actually dehydrates the grapes causing them to shrivel up. By removing the water, it concentrates the sugar contents, which results in intense, viscous and syrupy wines.
So yes, it is indeed a fungus that helps make these lovely sweet wines though not added to it. In the next Wine 101, I'll talk more about the how the wines are made and their flavors as well as food pairing suggestions!
No comments:
Post a Comment