Botrytized wines: the name is taken from a fungus, Botrytis cinerea, which attacks and changes the skin of the grape, forming a mould which gives the wine very special scents.
Not all grapes are suitable for botrytizing; they should be the right varieties, which have a thick, sound skin. And not all places are ideal either; in order to develop the fungus has to have alternate dampness and sunshine, which encourages concentration in the grape attacked.
The fungus attacks very ripe grapes and white grapes take on a brown colour and slowly become wrinkled, parts being covered by downy mould. This Botrytis enriches the sugars, attacks the tartaric acid and secretes certain substances which give the wine its special aroma The result is a wine which can be savoured on its own, with a high level of alcohol, which is left to rest for some years before it is drunk.