Sweet dreams are made of this….

This Château Violet Sauternes is indeed a dream of a wine! It must be said… not one for every day, but certainly for special moments. After all, it is a special wine that was also made in a very unique way. From, among other things, moldy grapes! Now don't be alarmed, because we are going to explain this in detail: Sauternes is a sweet French wine from the region of the same name in the Graves section of Bordeaux. Sauternes wine is made from sémillon—, Sauvignon Blanc, and sometimes Muscadelle grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. As a result, the grapes partially dry out, resulting in concentrated wines with a pronounced flavor. Due to the specific climate, Sauternes is one of the few wine regions where noble rot contamination is common. Nevertheless, production is irregular, as Botrytis cinerea does not always occur.

Wines from Sauternes can be very expensive. This is largely due to the low yield and complex harvest. Sometimes the farmer has to go through the vineyard as many as five times to pick the grapes. Once you’ve tasted them, you won’t want anything else!

But what does this taste like, then?

Sauternes' strength lies in the balance of sweetness combined with its acidity. Additionally, the aroma and taste of the Château Violet Sauternes are very complex, with a wide variety of aromas: apricot marmalade, honey, peaches, vanilla, and acacia. At the same time, with sufficient noble rot, the wine can also have a certain chemical note, which makes it very interesting. However, this varies clearly from year to year. The finish certainly lingers in the mouth for several minutes. Sauternes are some of the longest-living wines, with first-class examples of exceptional vintages that have been stored correctly and have the potential to age far, even after 60 years. A Sauternes usually starts with a golden-yellow color that develops increasingly darker over time.

This makes this Château Violet Sauternes an irresistible accompaniment to crème brûlée, foie gras pâté, and mousse. The combination with blue cheeses is also fantastic. A glass of Sauternes from Château Violet can be a dessert in itself.

Dutch invention?

It was the Dutch merchants of the 17th century who first developed an interest in white wine. For years, they had been active in the trade of German wines, but production in Germany began to decline in the 17th century when the German lands were struck by conflicts (particularly the Thirty Years' War) and as the popularity of beer increased. The Dutch saw an opportunity for a new source of production in Bordeaux and began investing in the planting of white grape varieties. They introduced German white winemaking techniques to the region, such as halting fermentation by using sulfur to maintain residual sugar levels.

One of these techniques involved taking a candle (known as a “sulfur candle”), dipping the wick into sulfur, and burning it in the vessel where the wine would ferment. This would leave a presence of sulfur in the vessel, in which the wine would react slowly while fermenting. As an antimicrobial agent, sulfur stuns the yeast that stimulates fermentation and eventually brings it to a halt, leaving the wine with high sugar levels. The Dutch began identifying areas where grapes suitable for white wine production could be planted. They soon settled in the Sauternes region. The wines from this area are known as vins liquoreux, but it is unclear whether the Dutch were actively using noble rot grapes at that time.