ROTTEN SWEET Wine - Tasting BOTRYTIS WINES

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I use this wine key: Laguiole en Aubrac Wine Key Ebony
I have used this glass in this Video: RIEDEL Veritas Champagne
I have tasted the following wines in this Video:
2009 Esterhazy Beerenauslese, Burgenland, Austria:
www.wine-searcher.com/find/es...
2017 Chateau Rieussec 'Les Carmes de Rieussec', Sauternes, France:
www.wine-searcher.com/find/ri...
2000 Pendits Tokaji Aszu Essencia, Tokaj, Hungary:
www.wine-searcher.com/find/pe...
2007 Müller-Catoir Haardter Herzog Rieslaner Trockenbeerenauslese, Pfalz, Germany:
www.wine-searcher.com/find/mu...
The 100 Point Scoring System (from www.robertparker.com):
96-100: An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase and consume.
90 - 95: An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines.
80 - 89: A barely above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavor as well as character with no noticeable flaws.
70 - 79: An average wine with little distinction except that it is soundly made. In essence, a straightforward, innocuous wine.
60 - 69: A below-average wine containing noticeable deficiencies, such as excessive acidity and/or tannin, an absence of flavor or possibly dirty aromas or flavors.
50 - 59: A wine deemed to be unacceptable.
The most famous story about the history of Botrytis is from the Rheingau region in Germany. A messenger was sent out to get permission to harvest the grapes at Johannisberg. He either got robbed or drunk - depending on who you want to believe and the grapes are rotting in the vineyard when he returns.
But when they are harvested and turned into wine - the outcome stuns everyone: A delicious sweet wine. This might have never happened, but it is likely that the first botrytized wines were accidents, as playing with the fungus is dangerous. Botrytis has two sides: It can cause Grey Rot which usually affects shoots, young bunches, and slightly unripe or damaged berries and can destroy a fair share of that year’s production. When it affects healthy and ripe grapes, it is called Noble rot, as it is an important factor in producing some of the best sweet wines.
Botrytis spores grow on grapes when the humidity is high and the temperatures are moderate - between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius. There are, however, some grape varieties like Riesling and Semillon that are very susceptible to it, and some like Cabernet Sauvignon or Solaris that are pretty tolerant.
Noble Rot penetrates the skin but doesn’t cause other diseases to spoil the juice. Over time it mainly sucks out moisture but also some sugar and acids. Grapes turn golden and purple, shrivel, and the sugars and acidity are concentrated. It changes the grapes content significantly, and the resulting the wine tastes very different to what it would taste like without the rot.

[@Adrian802]

FINALLY! My Favourites. 🤫🤫 don't let the world know about Sauternes and Tokaji. Let the world drink red wine but keep these guys to ourselves.

[@karlieeuh]

too late. Tokaji were already getting highly priced BC (before Covid)

[@QualeQualeson]

I actually picked up my very first Sauternes today. I've never tasted it before, so that's exciting. I'll have it with strawberry and cream when the season starts because I read somewhere that it's a good pairing.

[@sommelierramon]

HAHAaaaa the world already knows for years....don't you know ?

[@QualeQualeson]

@@sommelierramon Not really. Many have speculated that these kinds of wines are a dying breed. A lot of people today have probably never tried them or even know what they are.

[@LyricMyHunt]

Would be happy to discover more of Hungarian wines from you!

[@user-yu8sl9qx6e]

I'll hold my breath until you do a video of the Beaujolais Cru tasting.

[@jacobweber4234]

I had the pleasure of visiting 2 wineries in Austria, this week. First of Weingut Allram i Strass, Kamptal. Who makes some botrytised wines, then Gebruder Nittnaus in Burgenland, who makes alot of Botrytised wines, Lake Neusiedler allows them to harvest botrytised grapes in 9 out of 10 years. In 2021 they had the opportunity to make a wine (still maturing in tank), of 100% botrytis-grapes, ending with a thick flowing liquid, residual sugar way above 300 g/l, and 13,5 g/l of acidity, 6,5 % abv. Their botrytis is mainly made with Scheurebe (a crossing between Riesling and Buckentraube), but also Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Zweigelt and Grúner Veltliner.

[@billy4147]

sticky wines and smelly cheese. marriage made in heaven. thanks for the tasting

[@andreeandree85]

Yes, our favorite is an SA wine. Vin de Constance. A real reward after a good meal with a nice desert

[@solomonmengeu1003]

My and my wife's favorite sweet wine is Tokaji Aszu, as the interplay of fruit, dried fruit, tertiary notes and acidity is fascinating. I generally try to get older ones and/or wait 10 years from the vintage before opening them. Besides Tokaji Aszu we enjoy Sauternes, Louipac, Monbazillac, Barsac, etc. We do have a a 375 ml bottle of Ortega TBA from 2014 that I am saving for a very special occasion. Noble rot wines traditionally pair with foie gras, different varieties of blue cheese, etc; but I've also heard that they pair well with richly spiced and/or spicy Asian food. Would be interesting to try that sometime.

[@davidl.7317]

I only recently tried my first Sauterne. I had it with Creme Brule following a lamb dinner. I was wowed. I have been missing out for years. Now I want to do a much deeper dive into "rotten wines".

[@krygerandersson2462]

sunduriat is a great one for the price!

[@Adrian802]

no worries about missing out. Thankfully older vintages are still available for sale ( depends on where you live). Happy hunting.

[@davidl.7317]

I have many excellent sources for wine both local or from reliable out of area sources that ship.

[@ChaosCrischen]

You have to try the ones from germany. Most of the times I find sauterne wines less exciting compared to german sweet wines.

[@viktormartinsson9964]

​@@krygerandersson2462 Suduiraut

[@brianwettlaufer3447]

Botrytis wines are a well kept secret to many who enjoy wine and I find it difficult to bring people to try it. It is a favorite of mine and a half bottle to share between 2 is perfect for conversation flow after a rich dinner. I too keep them in my cellar and keep looking and assessing for the right time to open, but pulling the cork occurs much less frequent. Thank you for the great video!

[@Adrian802]

I have a difficulty to keep people away from my noble rot wine stash. I have to resort to using generic icewine ( even those getting more $$$😭)

[@CembaloMeister]

There's nothing like Chateau D'yquem and I have been lucky to taste the 1929, 1940, 1950, and 1986 vintages. I pour the 2019 Carmes de Rieussac by the glass at the restaurant I work at, and I find in its youth it pairs excellently with lighter fruit-based desserts like ones made with passionfruit, mango, or even coconut.

[@matttinney8159]

Sweet wines are how I first became really interested in wine, and are still among my favourite. I love the balance of sweetness and acidity. I’m in Canada so I enjoy ice wines - my favourites are the Riesling Icewine and Chardonnay Icewine from Volcanic Hills in the Okanagan valley. They capture the intense concentrated character of the grape balanced with acidity and lovely long finish. Of course icewines and botrytis wines are more expensive so my favourite thing to drink anywhere any day is a Riesling spätlese.

[@lesliesutherland4080]

I love sweet wines! 🎉 Rieussec in my cellar, the 1983 was stunning 😎🤗

[@karlinggard]

Riesling and Furmint for sure make my favorite types of botrytized wines, exactly for the reasons you described in the video. Their acidity levels have an incredible ability to balance out the high sweetness, and especially with Riesling you get the aromas characteristics of the grape as well.

[@MsJavaWolf]

Wow, this is the exact video I was hoping for for months. I always wanted to see a comparison of those dessert wines from different regions and grape varieties!

[@tjakkomartijn]

Amazing examples! I only missed the sweet Loire Chenin Blancs wines. I love the Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume. They're a bit more niche maybe. But Chenin + botrytis can be a pretty good recipe for amazing sweet wines i think!

[@eric1richards]

Thank you soooooo much for doing this tasting. I have so many thoughts and comments about my experiences with sweet wines, especially wines that are botryised. Let's start with some early 70s Château St Jean rieslings. Yummy. Then some Prum and Von Kesselstatt TBAs, eisweins, BAs from the 80s. Holy cow, those wines were epic. My first experience with Essensia at a Vintus supplier tasting. 16 wine reps ignored it, so I drank the whole thing. I will never forget that bottle. 1996 vintage. Old Yquem and Raymond Lafond and Rieussec from the 1988 vintage. And many more I have probably forgotten. I really appreciate that you opened these bottles and shared them with us.

[@DAVID-io9nj]

Thanks for reminding me about Chateau St. Jean. Enjoyed many of them. Did you ever try "Sweet Nancy" from Callaway? I had it a couple times. Then could not find it anymore in our area.

[@eric1richards]

@DAVID-io9nj never heard of that one. Is it one of those old school California wineries?

[@DAVID-io9nj]

@@eric1richards Yes, in Temecula.

[@nicomeier8098]

Ha, botrytis cinerea wines, my very favourite, and it started with Mosel Beerenauslese. One time I was there (Trittenheim) and in the early morning the valley was full of mist, but driving up the slopes there was sunshine. The autumn mist appeared in the late evening and dissipated during the morning, leaving the ripe grapes to dry their skins during the day. The result is no bad grey rot but beneficial noble rot, producing delicious sweet wines.

[@TCJproject]

Another great video! Your content is always so interesting and knowledgeable! Can't wait for the next one!

[@edtheduck6219]

Really great to see some “stickies” getting the love they deserve. Although I really like TBA, Eiswein, etc. my perfect moment came with an early 1970s Auslese from Schloss Johannisberg: perfect knife-edge balance between sugar and acidity, tasted fresh and vibrant, achingly beautiful and only 6%. These are wines made very carefully by extremely serious people, but they somehow bottle up pure happiness and light. Maybe all the emotions they don’t express in public make their way into the wine?

[@felixra1185]

Great video again, but the line-up was perhaps not entirely fair. I think Tokaj is the benchmark for botrytis wines, but you should try some of their great wineries and vineyards, like a 1st great growth single vineyard wine. Look forward to a future video on that!

[@Chzydawg]

Can you have up of the noble rot without the big kahuna? First time trying it, was at work. The boss lined a Botrytis Riesling from Margaret River (we're Perth based so have a regional bias. I think it was Juniper Estate , Suidirat, Riussec and d'yquem. First time I tried proper Sauterne. Start with the Margaret river...yeah good, decent would be great with cheese/dessert, but a bit too sweet. On to the Suidirat...Damn, that's really good, again perfect for a cheese/dessert course. Then the Riussec... wow, that's incredible you could almost just drink that with anything...Then along came the big daddy. It was the 2015, and it just hits you like a dump truck. Changes every concept you had of what good wine could be. Not overly sweet, acidity balances it out and the finish on it is so long that an hour later it was still lingering. After that, it's broken that bracket of wines for me. Everything is either d'yquem or not d'yquem now. What struck me the most about the experience was how like all really truelly great wines, it transcends its place in the traditional wine line up. Essentially it's a dessert wine, and should come last in a lineup, but with the acidity you could pair it at the start of a meal or with charcuterie. Really great wines often find their own way of just working with anything.

[@averykuch9036]

Thank you for these educational videos. I just completed my wset level 2 for work and your videos were a great accompaniment to the course work!

[@anthonyweigand6625]

Just got a 2005 Chateau Guirard, even more excited to try it after seeing this! Lovely video Herr Baum, thank you!

[@carlcadregari7768]

Thank you for saying nothing wrong with screw cap! Oh and thank you for the sweet wine review. I’m a huge fan of these types of wine. The first sweet wine I had, outside of Port, was Vin De Constance, my favorite “buy and drink now” is Ben Rye from Donnafugata, my overall favorite is a 46 PX I have. Sweet is a style I look for.

[@markiangooley]

I’m sick of paying US$10 or less for a wine and not getting a screw cap! I’m told that when vineyards save reference bottles they usually use a cap, though I think a crown cap, rather than a cork. Corks are a nuisance.

[@jovegajo]

I didn't even see a notification... My Konstantin Wine Sense was tingling.

[@TheSwirlingSomm]

Informative video as always. There are a lot of regions out there that do amazing desert wines, however I always come back to Tokaji Aszu as my favourite. Cheers.

[@dublodave7860]

I love sweet wines, Sauternes being my favorite with Ch Rieussec and Ch Suduiraut from various vintages dating back to the mid 1990's in my cellar (together with a few others). Saying that South African wines, Rustenburg 'Straw Wine' and 'Vin de Constance' from Klein Constantia are also excellent.

[@stickshifter8]

Good call! Vin de Constance is absolutely delicious! Cheers!!

[@barbarabird3827]

About 15 years ago we were in France planning Easter menu, & opened a 1997 Ch Suduiraut ( from the wine cooler at a local supermarket) - for the foie gras? Took a sip...stared at each other. We couldn't begin to identify & list the "kaleidoscope " of citrus flavors that continued to evolve- in the mouth, and looong after swallowing. It became the benchmark for us, for Sauternes. The other 2 bottles we had- same château, vintage, source- didn't measure up. Memories- & questions!

[@AlanYMartin]

Love dessert wines, I particularly like Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey, have tried on a few vintages and it never disappoints! Great video, thanks Konstantin!

[@michaelmiglino6512]

Thank you again, for another awesome and very informative video.🙏👍👏

[@rafaelsanchez7959]

😅I like your down to earth attitude towards wine

[@craigmetcalfe1749]

Hey Konstantin! I have been waiting for this video for awhile. I had my first Botrytis Wine about 40 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was a 750ml 1982 DeBortoli Noble One and I had it at my first wine tasting as a student. The length was so long pronounced that I could still taste the Botrytis the next morning even after brushing my teeth. That was there first bottling and it won a stack of awards. The curious thing is that some 25 years later I got to taste the same vintage again and it was drinking very well. Unfortunately the very last one in my wine cellar has well and truly passed the peak. so I am keeping for sentimental reasons. I look forward to trying some other varieties on your recommendation. Cheers!

[@58andyr]

This was a rivetting 'class'. Thank you!

[@liamblake937]

Wonderful video, as always! I love sauternes and the other late harvest wines of Bordeaux and southwest France. We have some late harvest Keller reislaner at the shop I work in. I may give it a try!

[@GiuseppePipia]

A good "rotten" wine I tasted was made in Sicily by Tenute Borghi Tondi, called Grillodoro. The vinyard is about 50m away from the Mediterranean sea and the grapes used are of the Grillo variety. Great video and great channel! Always been interested in the wine world. :)

[@richardgreen7529]

Love sweet wines and I'm a sucker for Sauternes. I tried my first glass of Chateau d'Yquem the other day which I'd wanted to for a long time. It was worth the hype for me and enjoyed every little last drop off it.

[@MDL-lw9my]

I do love a glass of sweet wine after a nice meal from time to time, they are outstanding with the right pairing. I enjoyed this video as it showcased some wines I had not heard of. Cheers 🥂

[@DaMueff]

In Austria, especcially in the Burgenland region, we have some amazing producers of sweet wine. Kracher ist probably the most famous, but I'm really into Angerhof Tschida. Their "Schilfwein Muskat Ottonel" from the 2012 vintage is one of my few 5/5 star wines I've tasted so far. And yes, if you have these wines in your cellar, you have to pray for a long life for yourself, because these wines can outlive almost everyone.

[@eliasmarius]

Another fantastic video Konstantin! Today I went to a restaurant with my brother and had a fantastic lunch. The wines were phenomenal as well! With the desserts I had a Macvin from Tissot and a tokaji 5 puttonyos. I had never tried wine from the Jura before (after your recent video I had to). As always greetings from Amsterdam

[@stickshifter8]

Great episode, Master. I ❤ sweet wines, Sauternes with foie gras is one if the top gustatory experiences in the world. Fortunately great Sauternes and also Tokaji are widely available here in the US. Unfortunately I have never tasted a Trockebeerenauslese (unpronounceable 😅😅) but it’s in my bucket list. Meanwhile I have a beautiful bottle of 2013 Yquem resting in my humble cellar, where it will certainly remain for at least another 10 years. Cheers!!!

[@stephenbest4924]

Brilliant video, a great educational experience. Just ordered a half bottle of Muller Catoir.

[@SirWussiePants]

I just bought a late season Finger Lakes Gewurztraminer (Boundary Breaks winery) and it is a total winner. I am definitely going to buy some more and stick it down in the wine room for a few years. If it lasts that long.

[@johnmcalinden4293]

A really informative and unusual tasting. Thanks

[@sillywizard6220]

I bought a 2021 Dr. Hermann Erdener Prälat Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese and a bottle of 2021 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Not only are these wines sweet, the 2021 vintage has upwards of 15 grams/liter acidity!!! 😵‍💫 These wines will require a lifetime to integrate all that sugar and acidity, which is why I’m saving these for the last wines I intend to drink and allow the finish to carry me into the afterlife! 😇

[@erichalvorsen8645]

I am a big fan of Jurançon wines. Made from Petit Manseng and/or Gros Manseng grapes. They are not noble rot grapes but made using passerillage, drying on the vine. They have wonderful acidity to balance the sweetness. Very fresh and lively.

[@karlsinki986]

Thank you this was a very interresting and fun video to watch! I am a big fan of Banyuls sweet wines! Would love to see a video that at some point! Cheers.

[@ronjohnson6406]

We are the same about the sweet wines in the Cellar. "Want to open the Yquem?", "No save it".

[@12Trappor]

Some of my best and most memorable wine tastings have been with a lineup of sweet wines. The wines tend to have so many nuances and there are so many different styles.

[@rundrum_micha]

Ich habe Süßweine erst vor einigen Jahren zum ersten Mal überhaupt probiert und aktuell im Rahmen meiner Vorberietung auf das WSET das erste Mal einen Sauternes im Glas gehabt. Ich war sofort von dessen Komplexität, sowohl in der Nase, wie auch am Gaumen angetan, wenn es auch noch ein junger Jahrgang war, der preislich etwas über dem von dir hier im Video Verkosteten lag. Ich werde mir von diesem aber mal ein paar Flaschen ins Regal legen und dann in 21-23 Jahren zum Renteneintrittsalters eine aufmachen 😂 Das Video hat mir sehr gefallen. Botrytis ist für mich aktuell ein spannendes Thema. Das Video kam genau richtig. Merci.

[@davidc6863]

Thank you for a fun and informative review. It would be interesting to hear you describe the passito technique and your review of your choice of examples

[@Ildskalli]

I looove sweet wines! I've tried some weirder styles in Chile that have really caught my attention, like syrah and carménère. The latter is especially great, and takes a lot of skill to pull off, since it's harvested right at maturity to avoid either green or cooked flavors, and then the fermentation is stopped at 8% ABV, resulting in a delicious, delicate wine with notes of flowers and red fruits.

[@clydeblair9622]

The first one I ever had was a Coutet Barsac I bought in 1972 as a suggestion for $10. I thought "so this is what they're talking about!". A nearby Hungarian market always had 5 puttonyos Tokay cheap.

[@robertterry9854]

I've had Chateau Rieussec and have enjoyed it, but I got spoiled after I had a 2005 d'Yquem O_O. I love tawny port, but am also a fan of ice or fortified gewurztraminer (Finger Lakes - our home area). I enjoy them alone, but also paired appropriately with cheese or dessert. I guess I just enjoy their power and complexity. Thanks for making a video on this! I have a Tokaji and a 1961 Colheita to share with my Hungarian grandparents married in 1961 this year :).

[@mesnierthomas]

My mindblowing discovery of 2019 : blue cheese (roquefort, for example) with botrytis wines... Insanely good, and I tried with Gorgonzola and Vinsanto, same results, delicious. In France we tend to pair these sweet white wines with foie gras, mostly, but it is actually so wrong when you've trie with blue cheese.

[@Androctonus84]

I have to be in the mood for sweet wines, but when I am these are some of my favorites.

[@Blackhawkzwei]

God, I love sweet wines. I guess Nik from St. Urbanshof put it in to words best at my visit as a young wine bro:" Residual sugar gives the wine the fourth dimension. Dry wines are great, but you need this component to really get the best of them." (loosely based on Nik Weis) We had an amazing (idk anymore - older than me - something like a) 1976 Beerenauslese Riesling with amazing complementary trout fillet on mashed potatoes with separately fried skin at (I think) Sektstuuf in Leiwen. This stuck with me, and I really still feel it. Gaaawd , how I love this stuff!

[@patrickdemarcevol]

It's not only the sugar in these wines, it's also the % of alcohol. Your cheeks are much rozier than when you started the tasting 😀. The Müller Catoir wine looks fabulous in the glass, what a colour. Looks like an old Banyuls.

[@angusmcmillan8981]

Lovely vid, thanks. I visited the Müller Catoir property in 1998 and bought half a dozen different wines, all lasted superbly and kicking myself that I haven't got any Eiswein left. None of my TBAs as dark or low alc as yours but all delicious. My ultimate favourites are the Vendange Tardive wines from Alsace and (even better) the moelleux and demi-sec Vouvrays especially from Huët - ticking your boxes of sugar balanced by acidity, so maybe so a vid on these? I had a 1947 Huët Vouvray in 2017 and at seventy years it was mindblowingly good, really fresh and probably needed more time!

[@jamesreynold6711]

We have some outstanding Botrytis Semillons in the Hunter Valley, Australia They often manage to retain their higher than usual acid profiles the region is known for, but often have 300g/L + in sugar! Excellent dessert wines commonly referred to as ‘Stickies’ out here. Passionfruit, marmalade, tropical fruits, nectars and honey in a bottle 😌 Not for everyone, but Botrytis wines are a personal favourite of mine - especially with rich cheese and dense gelato

[@jacob9540]

Recently tried Sauternes for the first time and tasted about 7 premier crus Sauternes and Barsac in a 2020 horizontal. The one that really blew me away was the Chateau Lefaurie-Peyraguey, it was clearly the most unique among the lineup and had explosive tropical aromas of guava and passion fruit. Really changed my mind about sweet wines

[@Adrian802]

May you provide us on what'd you think of the 2020 vintage? Thank you so much.

[@marknelson8724]

The Australians do a lot of research. They bottled a dessert wine with several different closures. They found out, after a few years, that what we think of as normal aging as the wine slowly gets darker and darker, depends on how much oxygen the closure is leaking into the wine. I guess the screwcap bottle turned out to be the control bottle.

[@andrewcarson9981]

Great showing! Such a great showing of Bordeaux blends… The Yeringberg is in fact $100 in Australia as well! I would be interested how Margaret River Cabernet would compare in such a line up.

[@johanneshenriksen6494]

That Muller catoir is an absolute amazing wine, affordable as well. My first choice for a trockenbeerenauslese.

[@mikehollywood7687]

Love sweet wines but moreso in that beautiful semi-sweet zone. Lambrusco kicks ass in this regard from Italy. Beautiful semi-sweet bubbly reds from the Reggio region. Had the pleasure of visiting there and drinking a lot of it on a birthday a while back and can definitely say it's worth the time.

[@robertcampbell67]

Love sweet wines! I just had a noble rot party! Dry furmint, three puttonoyo, late harvest, 5 and 6 puttonoyo tokaji. The must try pairing is five spice smoked pork belly with hoisin bbq sauce.

[@winterB92]

Loved this tasting! I personally enjoy tba with a nice pate Dessert wines are a hugely unappreciated sector of the wine world

[@baggrabb]

Really educational and entertaining video, thank you!! I like sweet wines, unfortunately I have very few friends to enjoy them with. Most casual wine drinkers in the US associate “sweet” with “cheap”. More for me, I guess!

[@ecmo11]

I enjoy all of the sweet wines you featured, as well as PX and Moscatel Sherries, and especially Boal Madeira. Granted, those wines are also fortified, so perhaps not exactly comparable to the wines featured in this segment. The Vin Jaune you featured recently is another favorite. If you can find them in Europe (doubtful), some folks in Napa are doing some nice botrytised wines. Trefethen and St. Supéry are two producers I have recently tasted doing this.

[@simonfernandez3621]

The best sweet wine I’ve ever tasted was a 2008 molino real from Málaga, Spain, old vine moscatel produced by Telmo Rodríguez. I had it paired with some dessert in a dinner last month. The wine had seen 15 years on bottle age so gracefully, quite possibly being able to withstand some more.

[@caz1402]

We love our stickies! One of our favourites is De Bortoli Noble One from Australia.

[@williamrobinson7435]

I have such a limited experience of decent wines, but I HAVE tasted one or two fine expressions of The Noble Rot. I was not aware, until reading through some comments that botrytis was present in Gewurtstraminer, which I LOVE (usually). The Alcase produces some stuff which pairs beautifully with many Eastern cuisines, some people say it has a note of Dolly Mixture, a British candy type. Try Alcase Gewurtstraminer with Singapore Noodles and if both are good you won't be disappointed. Konstantin, your pleasure in this tasting is super evident.. Also I am well chuffed with myself for guessing correctly the scores for all these wines this week, except for the last. 97 is HUGE! I'm quite sure I don't have to remind a Master Of Wine that there is a downside to these wines. Some aspirin in the morning and a classic 'hair of the dog that bit me' (hock and seltzer or soda) strongly recommended. This has given me a most particular type of thirst. Cheers! 🌟👍

[@danfarmer5613]

I'm not a sweet wine drinker, but this was very interesting. Thanks Konstantin

[@58andyr]

I think you are right. One mint cocolate after dinner is lovely; ten would quickly cloy!

[@tylerdurden6176]

A sin not to have a wine from the Mosel (JJ Prüm, Egon Müller, Fritz Haag. Markus Molitor…).Certainly the best-known region for sweet wines with Botrytis from Germany. Followed by the Rheingau (Weil, Schloss Johannisberg) and then Müller Catoir would have arrived. For the reputation of the sweet wines, however, the former cellar master Schwarz was primarily responsible, who I think has not been responsible since 2001.

[@LadyAceRoxy]

I have liked every serious sweet wine I have ever tried except for two ice wines - one from the U.S. didn’t have enough balancing acidity, and the other one from Canada has too much volatile acidity for my liking. But I’ve loved all the others, especially Tokaji and Sauternes.

[@teddytejero]

Last hot summer we enjoyed a large glass full of ice with Sauternes .... amazing and refreshing. And maybe a little shamefull

[@68Boca]

Another enjoyable tasting Konstantin. I've enjoyed recently a couple of wonderful Tokaji, remember years ago trying one and being amazed. But a Trockenbeerenauslese is my Moby Dick! I'm chasing it, not being European, they are impossible to come by here. Once or twice I could have, but just baulked at the prices to be honest. because I know, like yourself, i'll only have a small glass, you need to have an occasion to share them amongst like minded friends, Also your olive with the wine, when I last had a Tokaji , we actually had it with a Stilton and Apple tart. Almost perfect! Slightly sweet, and very salty! (yeah, I didn't cook the tart btw...but I brought the wine)

[@ericifune5543]

The greatest botrytis wine I've had is the 1989 Huet Vin de Constance.

[@philipwong454]

Love this video. Thank you Konstantin. I just can’t understand the high prices for Chateau d’Yquem. It taste very similar to our Australian version from De Bortoli’s Noble One. But there is a tenfold price differential. Would love for you to compare the two one day.

[@MrNmitch17]

I did a tasting in the village where most Tokay Aszú is made. The locals seriously wanted to know why the name Satoralyaujhegyi Aszú wouldn't work in export markets.

[@iBeaver1973]

@konstantin are you familiar with the Italian muffo style? Meant to be produced like the Sauternes but with different grapes. I know well from Sergio Mottura his Grechetto. 😛 And to save a second post... I really enjoy a meal with a Sauternes or muffo... start with it from the fridge at about 6c... as it warms, each glass is another world.... and finish at room temp, if you. Are lucky, you end with a juicy glass of fresh squeezed apricot to end the meal. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@stickshifter8]

Muffato della Salla: delicious!!!

[@johnpozz2846]

Also dry wines made with botrytizied grapes are delicious. One of my fav is the Auskinis Maceration by Sebastian Riffault

[@rickwezenaar]

I love sweet wines, although I do keep myself from drinking them too much. Obviously I like port, which is another kind of sweet wine, but one of my favourites is Muscat, especially the "Domaine du Vieux Pigeonnier muscat de beaumes de venise" which is readily available for a very affordable price here in The Netherlands. It is a lighter and younger muscat because like you I don't want too much sweetness. Also, this is a perfect wine to pour over icecream when having a dessert. Cheers! from Amsterdam ^_^

[@Sziliveszter]

I'm glad that a wine from Hungary comes to mind! I would really like to know what you think about a wine from Villány or Szekszárd. I’m mostly interested in red wines.

[@ciomuda2406]

This is a very interesting video. I didn’t know that rotten grapes can be salvaged this greatly

[@Adrian802]

Well don't press the rotten grapes in the fridge to wines. Those are mostly non consumable😅

[@The.Epicurean]

I was *not* expecting that TBA to be brown!!! 🤯

[@andreybatkilin8820]

Hi Konstantin! So many good wines are made, so I'll call wines made by my good friends or people I know very well personally. Also since you did not specify in the question whether the desert wines must be made from botrytized grapes, as well since I'm Vinitaly Italian Wine Ambassador, I'll start with my favorite desert wines made from healthy grapes: Villa di Capezzana Vin Santo Carmignano Riserva ( different vintages ) Speri Recioto della Valpolicella Classico La Roggia, Donnafugata Ben Rye, Speaking about favorite German sweet wines ( now, of course, from botrytized grapes) - for sure, Peter Jakob Kuhn Lenchen Auslese! ....as well J.J. Prum and Markus Molitor make very good sweets ;)))

[@oliverpringle4309]

If you like a 'less sweet' sweet wine, I recommend a vintage vouvray, like the 1990 Maison Darragon Vouvray Demi-sec.. it's not a botrytis wine, but it does have a slightly botrytis taste, goes very well with foie-gras. Is also excellent with blue cheese like roquefort or gorgonzola.

[@kimberly9181]

The wine that got me into wine was Tokaji! So of course I love sweet wines. The sweetness and the acidity make them more hardy and stress free to store than regular reds and white wines too, in my opinion. Yquem is the only atrociously priced Sauternes (😒LVMH, of course) but it really is excellent, and great for special occasions. I still love Tokaji for regular drinking though. That said, you should do a deep dive to the history of Tokaji and how the wine style evolved, and compare them to Slovakian Tokajský

[@kdzidoc]

Sauterne, royal Tokai, and others are full and delicious!!

[@YolloWaixers]

In France my Host mum used to drink Sauternes for Apero every time ^^

[@silasmoser301]

This is great. Would you be willing to do an episode on vintage port?

[@gianmarcobusso5840]

There's also Italian botrytis wines. I suggest you to try the Orvieto Classico Doc Muffato, lot of wineries to choose from in the area

[@jayceperlmutter4317]

Sweet German/Alsatian Rieslings (auslese+) and Sauternes have long been a regular part of our family’s wine choices but the selection where we live is limited. Thanks for discussing this type of wine! Tokay is really impossible to obtain here in CA. Sauternes with olives…interesting!

[@atamo4323]

A good play on sweet and savory. Like syrup on bacon/ham pizza in Amsterdam.

[@ericpmoss]

I love a good Tokaji or Transylvanian Muscat (Liliac is a good brand). Another special wine is Schiacchetra from Cinque Terre Italy, which can taste like anything from a bright Muscat to a good tawny port.

[@nasos00]

I love dessert wines but I don't drink enough of them. Like you, I typically am of the opinion that they can wait so I end up opening a different bottle. Also, I don't feel like I can drink a lot of it in one sitting, especially for those very sweet ones.

[@MsJavaWolf]

I think that sweet wines might have a bad rep because some people associate them with those cheap, mass produced supermarket wines, that pretend to be dry but are actually too sweet, I think many can imagine what brands I'm talking about. A real dessert wine, that is meant to be sweet, is a very different product. I started to like them much more, when I changed my expectation. For me those are clearly not wines that you drink a bottle of at a party, those are wines that I never drink more than a single glass of, often even just a small whisky nosing glass, but that single glass I enjoy immensely. A single glass with a dessert, or some cheese, or sometimes just by its own to meditate over and relax.

[@vikingmr.1229]

I think they do that with the bottom shelf wines because they view the residual sugar as tool to hide the actual taste of the wine , meanwhile giving the actual high quality sweet wines a bad reputation in the ye of the general public. I belive most of the time it only takes a few more euro to go from those , to actually enjoyable sweet wines that are meant to be enjoyed.

[@Skillividden]

Aszueszencia used to have at least 180 g/l of residual sugar. Most of them had like 250-300 g/l. Pure Eszencia has at least 450 g/l of sugar, sometimes over 700 with only 2-3% of alcohol, so technically it's not even a wine.

[@eric4946]

@konstatin Baum one of the ultimate pairs if you have the vices is cigar/hooka and Sauternes.

[@erichalvorsen8645]

Little secret : try these wines with fresh pineapple chunks, a bit of sugar and fresh chopped cilantro!