sweet talk

LATE HARVEST BOTRYTISED WINES HAVE A PARTICULAR PERSONALITY WITH A NATURAL SWEETNESS PRODUCED FROM CAREFULLY-TREATED WITHERED, SHRIVELED GRAPES. HERE IN PORTUGAL, THERE ARE MANY PARTICULARLY FINE EXAMPLES

Words: LÍVIA MOKRI

SWEET WINES have been highly appreciated across the centuries, dating back in popularity to ancient Rome. But the beginning of botrytised wines is associated with the Tokaj region of Hungary, where the first records register 1560. The wines gathered notice in the 17th and 18th centuries and today Tokaji Aszú is one of the most famous sweet wines in the world.

Germany also contributed to the development of botrytised wines in the 18th century, when the owner of an estate in the Rheingau failed to give the order for the harvest and the grapes became affected by ‘noble rot’.

The Sauternes region of Bordeaux is another example, where, as the story goes, the first botrytised wine was made by chance in 1815. After this, the late harvest process conquered the world, and here in Portugal, ‘Colheita Tardia’ was the result. There is no exact date for the production of the country’s first late harvest – the only certainty is that Colheita Tardia is the most recently-produced sweet wine in this country, after Port Wine, Moscatel de Setúbal, Moscatel do Douro, Madeira Wine, Carcavelos, and Licoroso dos Açores.

And today more and more producers are focusing on this market sector and on a wine that goes through an extremely rigorous production process that starts in November or early December to give the white grapes time to take on Botrytis cinerea, ‘noble rot’. This is a type of fungus that covers the skin of the grapes, allowing them to concentrate the flavour, which develops in humid environments resulting in the dehydration of the berries, and a chemical reaction that affect the acidity and sugar. In an ideal situation, humid nights and morning fog allow the development of the fungus, while sunny and dry days slow its evolution and help the evaporation of water and dehydration of the berries.

Botrytis cinerea penetrates the berry through microcracks in the skin and so begins the battle between the plant and the fungus. The skin becomes macerated and thinner, and like a sponge, facilitates the evaporation of water. The berry decreases in size up to five times, which explains the concentration of sugars.

The presence of the fungus significantly alters the composition of the berry with a strong impact on winemaking and, above all, on the organoleptic characteristics of the wine, since the noble rot induces greater aromatic complexity.

The fungus eventually dies. And the harvest has to take place at the right time.

Grapes and winemaking

In Portugal, it is not easy to find a place where the right conditions are met for the development of noble rot. Here, the Sémillon grape variety (the synonym Boal) is used a lot, especially in the Douro; Arinto and Fernão Pires are also options. In Dão, the Encruzado is in partnership with Malvasia Fina, sometimes with Furmint and Viognier. Vinho Verde relies on Avesso, which gives a very particular character to the late-harvest wines. Although European legislation establishes 45g/L of sugar as the minimum limit for a wine to be considered sweet, the sugar content of Colheita Tardia in Portugal varies between 80 and 160g/L. And the result is a sweet wine, with a very peculiar bitterness, aromatic and long, which provides an excellent gastronomic experience. These wines, despite being known for their longevity, should be enjoyed fresh, at a temperature of 10-12ºC.