noble rot

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noun Winemaking.

the fungus Botrytis cinerea, which is cultivated in some winemaking processes, especially in the making of French Sauternes, where the ripened grapes become shriveled as a result of its introduction, thereby concentrating the juice and increasing the sugar content.

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Also called noble mold .

Origin of noble rot

First recorded in 1920–25

Words nearby noble rot

noble gas, nobleman, noble metal, noble-minded, noble opal, noble rot, noble savage, noblesse, noblesse oblige, Noblesville, noblewoman

British Dictionary definitions for noble rot

noble rot

noun

winemaking a condition in which grapes are deliberately affected by Botrytis cinerea, resulting in the shrivelling of the ripened grapes, which in turn leads to an increased sugar content

Word Origin for noble rot

C20: translation of French pourriture noble

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012