12/14/05 Sauternes

Welcome to Vine to Wine, this is your host Linda Moran, and yesterday we discussed Ice Wines so today I thought we would take a look at another famous sweet wine known as Sauterne. Ahh the sweet nectar of a glass of Sauternes. Sauternes is a place; a district in the Graves region of Bordeaux France. This sweet golden wine differs from the ice wine we discussed yesterday because it gains its character from the infection of a fungus called botrytis rather than the winters freeze. The grapes grown in Sauternes and authorized for the making of the wines are Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle. Semillon is by far the preferred grape and most producers use at least 80% in their blend. Once the grapes are infected with the botrytis it concentrates the sugar and the juice so that the winemaker has a glorious liquid to begin with. The amount of grapes harvested is very low and the grapes are hand picked. They are selected over several days or weeks with the pickers making many passes through the vineyards, selecting only the infected grapes for the production of the wine. The beauty is that the acids are retained and keeps the wine in balance so that it isn't unpleasant and just to sweet. It is delicate and rich and like non other. Also know that you will be paying a pretty penny for a quality French Sauternes. Ask your local wine merchant for a recommendation. Send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.