Inside Wine: When Rot Is Noble
Botrytis is crucial to producing some of the greatest sweet wines in the world
From the Oct 15, 2007, issue
For red-wine makers, Botrytis cinerea is simply rot, a nasty fungal infestation with potentially disastrous consequences. But for estates making dessert wines in regions such as Germany and France's Sauternes and Loire Valley, Botrytis cinerea goes by the sobriquet "noble rot," and is essential to the creation of the world's finest sweet wines.
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