Sauterne Wine, Explain Sauterne wine, What is Sauterne wine
Sauterne wine speaks to explain Sauterne wine and what is Sauterne wine both manufacture and history of such.
Sauterne is a French dessert wine which is produced in the Sauternais region of the Bordeaux area of France. The wine is made from Muscadelle, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes that have been infected by a disease known as noble rot.
The grapes thus infected become a partial raisin which affects the distinct flavour of the wine. This noble rot occurs frequently in the region mostly due to the climate.
Production is not always assured and the harvest can be greatly affected from different vintages. This makes the wine expensive as a result of limited production.
A type of sauterne is also made in the United States but it is recognized as an inferior product.
The first reported sauterne dates back to the early 17th century and it was the Dutch who also in the 17th century developed a taste for the sweeter wines.
It was in fact the Dutch who first introduced German white wine making techniques such as halting fermentation early to stop alcohol production and leave sugar levels high.
The use of the noble rot desiease to produce sweet wine was not something that sauterne producers wanted widely known and it was pretty well kept a secret for a long time. It was known as the unspoken secret but was also used for Hungarian and German sweet wines.
The five areas or communes that comprise the Sauterne region are Barsac, Sauternes, Bommes, Preignac and Fargues. All are permitted to call their wine Sauterne.
To qualify to be allowed to use a Sauterne label the wine must be at least 13% alcohol by volume and must pass a tasting examination by experienced wine tasters.
The common flavours of the wines are noted as those of apricots, honey and peaches with the flavour lingering on the palate for several minutes after tasting.
The wines are capable of aging for a very long time with some known as sitting for as long as a hundred years.
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