Botrytis Cinerea

A beneficial fungus, also known as noble rot, which is necessary to produce many of the world’s great sweet wines, including Sauternes. In certain years, when the degree of humidity is just right, Botrytis cinerea will attack grapes, covering them with a gray mold. The mold lives by penetrating the grapes’ skins and using up the available water in the juice. This concentrates the sugar, flavor, and ACID so that a COMPLEX wine of exceptional sweetness can be made. Botrytis is unique in that, unlike other molds, it produces flavors that harmonize with the flavors of particular grapes.

The oral somatosensory property of a wine is synonymous with its:

A. sense of creaminess

B. spiciness

C. smell

D. mouthfeel

A wine’s oral somatosensory property is to mouthfeel. Scientists have long known that while we may think we like a wine for its flavors (“like cherries,” “lemony” and so on), a key driver of our perceptions and preferences is how the wine feels.

“There are several people of color at the advanced level who are sitting for the Masters [Sommelier Exam]. Without the pin [earned upon passing the exam], people are not going to believe the Black sommelier when she comes to the table. That pin shows you know your stuff. It’s like the medical degree hanging in your doctor’s office.”

—Carlton McCoy, CEO of Heitz Cellars and 1 of only 3 African American Master Sommeliers, who serves on the Court of Master Sommeliers’ diversity committee, commenting on the importance of the MS pin to minority professionals.

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