Botrytis cinerea, when it develops in a particular form named “noble rot” is at the origin of the great sweet white wines of Sauternes, from the Semillon grape variety.

STAGE 1 : Golden grapes

STAGE 2 : Fungus installation, the botrytis cinerea

STAGE 3 : Full rotten

STAGE 4 : Roasted rotten

Moreover, Botrytis cinerea colonises the grapes in a heterogeneous way. Thus, a single grape can present all stages of evolution of the fungus : berries at maturity, full rotten and roasted rotten.

It is this parameter wich requires a strictly manual harvest by successive passages (selections) to collect only those parts of the grapes affected by the fungus.