Noble rot facts for kids
Noble rot is a special kind of fungus that helps make some of the world's best sweet wines. Its scientific name is Botrytis cinerea. This fungus usually causes "grey rot," which can ruin grape crops. But if the weather is just right, it becomes "noble rot," which is a good thing for winemaking.
For noble rot to happen, grapes need to be ripe. Then, they need moist conditions for the fungus to start growing. After that, the weather must turn drier. This change makes the grapes shrivel up a bit, like raisins. This process concentrates the sugars and flavors inside the grapes. Wines made this way are called botrytized wines. They are known for being very sweet and rich.
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How Noble Rot Was Discovered
People have been making wine with noble rot for a long time. There are a few interesting stories about how it was first found.
The Hungarian Story
One popular story comes from Hungary. It says that the first aszú wine was made in 1630. This wine uses grapes affected by noble rot. The story credits a person named Laczkó Máté Szepsi with this discovery. However, some older writings mention wines made from noble rot grapes even before 1630. For example, a book from 1576 talks about them. Also, an old list of wines from five years earlier mentions aszú wine. When winemakers started classifying vineyards in the Tokaj region around 1730, they even rated areas based on how well Botrytis cinerea could grow there.
The German Story
Another famous story comes from Germany in 1775. It involves the Riesling producers at Schloss Johannisberg. These winemakers usually waited for permission from the estate owner, Bishop Heinrich von Bibra, before picking their grapes.
The legend says that in 1775, the messenger carrying the harvest order was robbed. This delayed the grape picking by three weeks. During this time, the botrytis fungus grew on the grapes. Everyone thought the grapes were ruined and worthless. So, they gave them to local farmers. Surprisingly, the farmers made a wonderfully sweet wine from these "ruined" grapes! This wine later became known as Spätlese, which means "late harvest wine."
After this discovery, winemakers in Germany started making different types of sweet wines. In 1787, they introduced Auslese. Later, in 1858, Eiswein (ice wine) was developed. It's important to know that Eiswein is usually made from grapes that freeze on the vine, not from grapes affected by noble rot.
How Noble Rot Works and Where It's Used
Noble rot is a special process that helps create unique sweet wines.
How the Fungus Helps
Sometimes, winemakers spray the fungus spores onto the grapes to start the process. Other times, the fungus grows naturally from spores already in the air.
Once the fungus is on the grapes, it makes tiny holes in their skin. These tiny holes allow the water inside the grape to evaporate when the weather becomes dry. As the water leaves, the sugar and flavor compounds left in the grape become much more concentrated. This is why noble rot wines are so sweet and flavorful.
For the very best noble rot wines, workers might pick the grapes one by one. This is called tris in French, meaning "selections." They only pick the berries that are perfectly affected by the noble rot.
Famous Noble Rot Wines
Many countries produce famous botrytized wines. Some of the most well-known include:
- Aszú from Tokaj-Hegyalja in Hungary and Slovakia. This wine is often just called Tokaji or Tokay.
- Sauternes from France. In France, this process is known as pourriture or pourriture noble.
- Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese wines from Germany and Austria.
Other wines made with noble rot include Romanian Grasă de Cotnari, French Coteaux du Layon, French Monbazillac, Austrian Ausbruch, and South African Noble Late Harvest (NLH). Winemakers in California and Australia have also started using noble rot to make their own sweet wines.
See also
In Spanish: Podredumbre noble para niños
