Food Encyclopedia

Sémillon

A white grape grown in France and, to a lesser extent, in California, Australia, Chile and Argentina. Sémillon is bottled on a limited basis as both a dry and semi-sweet varietal wine. It's also sometimes blended with Sauvignon Blanc. Its greatest claim to fame, however, is its susceptibility to botrytis cinerea, making it one of the grapes most often used for dessert wines such as the French sauternes and some U.S. late-harvest wines.