Wine: A taste of honey

THE northern approach to the village of Sauternes is by far the most dramatic.

Here, on raised ground, amid the heavy-laden, immaculately trained vines of Château d'Arche, the road drops gently, spiralling down to the imposing spire of the village's church. To the left lies Château Guiraud, to the right Château Lamothe-Guignard, for this is sweet-wine country, where the sauvignon blanc, sémillon and muscadelle grapes produce perhaps the world's most under-appreciated, golden, flower-scented wine.

As the copper sun disappears behind the village of Fargues, nature plays its hand. Along the banks of the Ciron, a mist develops, hugging the low-lying hills. During these cool nights, the grapes develop a fungal growth, known as 'noble rot', or Botrytis cinerea. Devouring the grapes' skin, sugar and acidity, it leaves the bunches looking shrivelled and, frankly, rotten by harvest time. But what is left is highly concentrated grape juice.

Picking these grapes can take anything up to ten weeks, as only those affected with botrytis are selected. Yields in this small Bordeaux backwater are some of the lowest in the world.

At Château d'Yquem, pickers are so experienced at knowing what to leave, that from its estate of 250 acres, fewer than 1,000 bottles are produced. Such is its painstaking adherence to quality, that in 1970 the château made no d'Yquem at all.

Coupled with an intensive and exhausting production process, the risk element is ludicrous – for example, if the October weather turns, the fungus can mutate into grey rot, robbing the winemaker of the chance to make any sweet wine at all.

Against this background, it is little wonder the region is low on confidence. "Everybody loves Sauternes, but nobody buys it," one producer told me. And therein lies the problem. One of the reasons, I suspect, why sales are falling is that we have forgotten when to drink this glorious wine. For too long, it was marketed as a digestif, to be enjoyed after the meal or with foie gras. But who eats foie gras these days?

It has also lost ground to wines such as riesling, gewürztraminer and pinot gris as an accompaniment to Asian cooking, which is strange, as the two work exceptionally well together. A small glass of chilled Sauternes is delicious with dishes such as Cantonese roast pork. It would also work well served as a starter with a Roquefort salad or as an accompaniment to steamed salmon and ginger, or simply with spiced shrimps.

For the calorie-conscious, you don't have to guzzle a bottle in one sitting. As it has already oxidised, it will retain its quality for up to a week after it has been opened. Despite the frightening price of a glass of aged Sauternes or Barsac, it is one of the most complex wine experiences you could hope for. Layers of rich, luscious, sweet flavours – such as apricot, orange, lemon and ginger – vie with a scintillating, ethereal acidity. In these chastened economic times, it's comforting to enjoy a little indulgence.

2005 Château Suduiraut Sauternes, Bordeaux, France, 37.5cl, £18

A complete vintage. It is extremely concentrated with fresh notes of lemon zest and white peach on the nose. Harmonious and elegant, it has an undertone of exotic fruit and stronger flavours such as orange peel. Sublime. Berry Bros & Rudd (0870 900 4300, www.bbr.com)

2004 Château d'Arche Sauternes, Bordeaux, France, 75cl, £18

Lively, with honeyed notes of apples and spices, and a long, sweet finish. This has a complex, botrytised finish and marries well with the flavours of Japanese food. Lay & Wheeler (0845 330 1855, www.laywheeler.com)

2004 Château d'Yquem Sauternes, Bordeaux, France, 75cl, £200

There is no getting away from it – d'Yquem is a very expensive wine. But given time, at least ten years in the bottle, it matures into one of the world's greatest – if not the greatest. The 2004, although young, has a rapacious acidity with notes of lemon, orange, rich marmalade, honey and apricot. Jeroboams, London (020 7288 8850, www.jeroboams.co.uk)

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