Botrytis is a genus of fungi, with Botrytis cinerea being the most well-known species. In most agricultural contexts, it is a destructive plant pathogen that causes grey mould, affecting a wide range of fruit, vegetable, and ornamental crops.
However, Botrytis cinerea has a celebrated role in winemaking. Under specific climatic conditions — misty mornings followed by warm, dry afternoons — the fungus infects ripe grapes in a controlled way known as noble rot (pourriture noble). Rather than destroying the grapes, it perforates the skin, allowing water to evaporate and concentrating the sugars and flavour compounds. This process produces some of the world’s most prized dessert wines, including French Sauternes, Hungarian Tokaji, and German Trockenbeerenauslese.
As a food ingredient in itself, Botrytis is not widely consumed directly. Its significance lies almost entirely in its role in winemaking and its impact on agriculture as both pathogen and, in the right circumstances, a valued collaborator.
How it's produced
Botrytis cinerea is not farmed or harvested in a conventional sense. As a pathogen, it occurs naturally on a wide range of plants and is generally unwanted, costing agriculture billions of dollars annually in crop losses.
In the context of noble rot winemaking, the fungus is encouraged rather than cultivated. Vineyards in specific microclimates — typically near rivers or lakes that produce morning fog — allow the fungus to develop on ripe grapes. Winemakers monitor the infection closely, hand-harvesting individual berries or bunches at optimal infection levels, often over multiple passes through the vineyard. The process is labour-intensive, unpredictable, and dependent on weather, which is why noble rot wines command high prices.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
≈ Estimated from its category — typical for mushrooms, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →
What comes from this
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