🍷 Sélection de grains nobles
A sweet Alsace wine from berries touched by noble rot.
Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN) is an Alsatian sweet wine made from berries touched by noble rot. The name means “selection of noble berries”. It is one of the rarest and sweetest wines of Alsace, in eastern France.
Noble rot, or botrytis, is a fungus that appears on the berries in a warm, damp autumn. It does not spoil them but turns them dry and shrivelled: the water evaporates, leaving thick sweet juice rich in aroma. The berries are picked late and by hand, selected one by one, so SGN cannot be made every year.
The rules require a high sugar level in the juice and allow only four grapes: Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat. The wine is golden and thick, with aromas of honey, apricot, candied fruit and spice, and at the same time bright acidity. It can keep for decades.
SGN is close to Vendange Tardive, “late harvest”, but sweeter. Vendange Tardive is also made from late-picked berries, but without the requirement for noble rot. SGN is served in small glasses with desserts and foie gras. Alcohol is for adults.
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Noble rot
- Related to
- 🗺️ French wine
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Vendanges tardives, 🍷 Noble rot, 📍 Alsace
Frequently asked questions
What is Sélection de Grains Nobles?
An Alsatian sweet wine from hand-selected berries affected by noble rot.
How is SGN different from Vendange Tardive?
SGN is sweeter and made from berries with noble rot, while Vendange Tardive is sweeter than usual but not necessarily botrytised.
What grapes are used for SGN?
Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat.
Similar
🍷 Botrytised wine · 🍷 Vendanges tardives · 🍷 Sauternes · 🍷 Late harvest wine · 🍷 Pupitre · 🍷 Liqueur d'expédition