What is the role of botrytis in BA/TBA?

• A. It reduces acidity.
• B. It sterilizes the must.
• C. It concentrates sugars and flavors, enabling BA and TBA.
• D. It is irrelevant to dessert wines.

Answer: (C)

Botrytis causes noble rot, a controlled mold that dries the grape and concentrates its components. As the berries lose water, sugars, acids, and flavor compounds become highly concentrated, creating grapes with extremely high sugar levels and intense flavors. When these botrytized grapes are vinified, they produce the very sweet, richly flavored wines known as Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese. This concentrating effect is the key reason botrytis is essential for BA and TBA. It’s not about sterilizing the must, and while acidity can shift during drying, the defining role is the concentration of sugars and flavors that enables these dessert styles.