Dessert wine wine is also made in the United States, Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy, Australia, France and New Zealand in smaller quantities. Some of the most famous dessert wines, such as Château d'Yquem of Sauternes and Tokaji Aszú of Tokaj-Hegyalja in Hungary, or Seewinkel in Austria are made using grapes mouldy with "Botrytis cinerea", which sucks water out of the grape whilst imparting flavours of honey and apricot to the future wine. The fungus requires specific conditions to produce noble rot; if it is too damp, the same fungus causes destructive grey rot. Vignerons must ensure that they
Sauternes (wine) west bank of the Ciron river where the tributary meets the Garonne. The area sits on an alluvial plain with sandy and limy soils. In general, Barsac wine is distinguished from other Sauternes in being drier with a lighter body; currently more Barsac producers are choosing to promote the wines under their own name. In years when the noble rot does not develop, Sauternes producers will often make dry white wines under the generic Bordeaux AOC. To qualify for the Sauternes label, the wines must have a minimum 13% alcohol level and pass a tasting exam where the wines need