The Wine Lover: The mold that turns grapes to gold

Sauterne is a sweet white wine made in the Bordeaux region of France. Some sauternes, like Château d’Yquem, capture incredible price tags and are sought after the world over.
Like all white Bordeaux wines, Sauternes are a blend of sauvignon blanc and Semillon . Sauvignon blanc is an austere, crisp grape, and Semillon is a more full-bodied, rich grape. The two blended together create a complex and incredibly balanced sweet wine that is unforgettable.
It takes more than the soil of Bordeaux and the magic of combining sauvignon blanc and Semillon to make a sauterne, though. What could the secret ingredient be?
Mold.
Cheese isn’t the only foodstuff that benefits from mold. In Sauterne, they let the grapes hang on the vines well into the late fall, because the French know that the vines will be infected by Botrytis cinerea, a beneficial mold that dries out the grapes.
Botrytis cinerea, also known as “noble rot,” helps concentrate the sugars in the grapes and actually adds complexity and flavor. What you are left with is an incredibly rich yet balanced sweet wine with honeyed flavors and a golden-yellow hue.
Bordeaux is not the only place in the world where vintners use noble rot. Germany’s TBAs (that’s short for trockenbeerenauslese, for the curious) will often benefit from noble rot — and, although it’s less common, we even have it happen here in the United States.
TBA is made from Riesling (one of the loves of my life) and can be crazy expensive, much like Sauterne.
Sauterne and TBA can be tasted and bought at Soif in downtown Santa Cruz and purchased at Shopper’s Corner off Soquel Avenue.
On a side note, I will be a dad by the time the column after this one comes out! Yes faithful wine readers, I am going to be a father. Cheers!
Austin Twohig is a certified sommelier and partner in The Santa Cruz Experience, which conducts winery tours in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Contact him at au****@th********************.com.