Why does Austrian botrytis sweet wine taste like that?

Characteristically very low tannin and medium-plus acidity. Commonly associated with green apple, citrus, honey, apricot.

Not claiming: That every wine from this variety shows these characteristics. This is the range across the category, and site and winemaking move wines within and beyond it.

Characteristically very low tannin, medium-plus acidity and medium-full body. Commonly associated with green apple, lemon, white peach, pineapple.

Not claiming: That every wine from this variety shows these characteristics. This is the range across the category, and site and winemaking move wines within and beyond it.

Characteristically very low tannin and medium-plus acidity. Commonly associated with green apple, white pepper, lentil, celery.

Not claiming: That every wine from this variety shows these characteristics. This is the range across the category, and site and winemaking move wines within and beyond it.

Warmer growing seasons are associated with faster sugar accumulation and lower retained acidity, so fruit reaches a given potential alcohol earlier in the season.

Varies: Above the vine’s photosynthetic optimum the relationship reverses: extreme heat stalls ripening, inhibits anthocyanin synthesis and can raise sugar only through berry dehydration.

Not claiming: That warm regions necessarily make high-alcohol wine. Potential alcohol at any moment is a choice point; the producer decides when to pick.

A wide day–night temperature range is associated with better acid retention, because cool nights slow the respiration that consumes malic acid while warm days continue to ripen the fruit.

Not claiming: That altitude or continentality guarantees high acidity. Both widen diurnal range on average and neither determines the outcome.

Botrytis cinerea perforates the grape skin and allows water to evaporate, concentrating sugar and acid, while its own metabolism produces glycerol and compounds associated with honey and dried apricot.

Varies: Noble rot requires a specific alternation of humid mornings and dry afternoons. The same fungus in persistent wet weather is grey rot and destroys the crop.

Not claiming: That botrytis is desirable in general. It is desirable in a narrow set of conditions on healthy fruit, and otherwise it is a disease.

Decades for Trockenbeerenauslese and Ausbruch. Ruster Ausbruch in particular has a long documented record of ageing, and the Neusiedlersee’s reliable autumn botrytis is what makes the category possible at all.

Not claiming: That a wine of this style will develop these characters. Ageing potential varies by producer, vintage and storage, and most wine is better young.