Ciência Téc. Vitiv. 35(2) 76-106. 2020 AN OVERVIEW ON BOTRYTIZED WINES REVISÃO: VINHOS BOTRITIZADOS Georgios Kallitsounakis1, Sofia Catarino1,2* 1LEAF (Linking Landscape Environment Agriculture and Food) Research Center, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal. 2CeFEMA (Centre of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials) Research Center, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal. * Corresponding author: Tel.: +351 21 3653246, e-mail:
[email protected] (Received 08.06.2020. Accepted 29.08.2020) SUMMARY Noble rot wine is a specific type of sweet wine that derives from the infection of grape berries by a fungus called Botrytis cinerea. These wines are produced in specific wine regions around the world, with Sauternes region of France and Tokay region of Hungary being the most famous ones. The purpose of the current article is to provide a systematic review on the different stages of botrytized wines production, including a detailed analysis of the technical aspects involved. Specifically, it describes the process and development of berry infection by B. cinerea, and special emphasis is given to the main stages and operations of winemaking, conservation, aging and stabilization. A complex combination of a number of parameters (e.g., very specific environmental conditions) explains the rarity of noble rot occurrence and highlights the uniqueness of botrytized wines. RESUMO Os vinhos botritizados representam uma categoria específica de vinhos doces, sendo obtidos a partir de bagos de uva infectados pelo fungo Botrytis cinerea, através de um processo designado por podridão nobre. Estes vinhos são produzidos em regiões específicas do mundo, sendo Sauternes e Tokay, originários de França e Hungria respectivamente, os exemplos mais conhecidos a nível mundial.