Botrytis: a fungal disease that can affect grape vines, particularly in warm, moist, humid conditions. The bad form of the disease is also known as ‘grey rot’ because it turns the grape bunch a dull grey colour. The benevolent form of the disease is known as ‘noble rot’ because even though the fungus attacks ripe white grapes, it does not impart a bad flavour to them. In fact, by making holes in the grape berries, water from the grapes is able to evaporate, leaving only concentrated, sweet grape juice, from which extremely sweet (or dry, robust) wine can be produced.
Wines produced from botrytis-affected grapes tend to have a rich, marmalade/orange-peel nose with confected citrus and honeyed aromas. Dry wines can sometimes be produced from botrytised grapes. Sauternes is an example of a style of wines produced from botrytised grapes.
