Home > Wine Features > Sweet Wine: Dried Grape Wines

Sweet Wine: Dried Grape Wines

Sweet Wines

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Must Weight

Part 3: Botrytis

Part 4: Late Harvest Wines

Part 5: Eiswein

Part 6: Dried Grape Wines

Part 7: Vin Doux Naturel

Both the Late Harvest and Eiswein styles, covered in previous instalments of this exploration of sweet wine, have come to the fore in the Twentieth Century; the former gained much ground in its spiritual birthplace of Alsace on the back of Hugel's Law, although I do not deny that some winemakers were producing the style long before this, and that there are many regions other than Alsace where this style is made with success. The latter only really came into being in the last century, and has not long emigrated to Canada; nevertheless, the style is already hugely successful both in North America and Germany. Both, however, are mere pups compared to the Botrytis wines which, the records suggest, have been in existence for at least four centuries, if not more.

But what of wines made from dried grapes? Here is the grand patriarch of all sweet wines, with references showing this technique to be in use not centuries ago, but millennia.

Broadly speaking, there are two main methods to producing dried grape wines. The first involves giving a twist to the stem supporting the bunch, but allowing the fruit to remain on the vine; this is a method I alluded to in my instalment concerning Late Harvest wine. Once sufficiently dehydrated the grapes are harvested as normal; this practice is rather similar to the more usual late harvest method, although in this case the grapes dehydrate naturally as the vine shuts down for winter, with no damage to the stem. Although stem-twisting may have been a popular early method, the practice of drying the grapes after harvest is probably the more important today. Traditionally, the process may have taken place on beds of reeds or straw, hence the French vin de paille and the Austrian strohwein, but in modern times, with commercial and financial pressures, the process is much more likely to occur in purpose-built facilities, the grapes resting on specifically designed trays. Nevertheless, there are still some producers that stick to the time-honoured traditional methods, and I have met one Roussillon winemaker, from Mas Amiel, who simply lays his grapes on the stony ground right next to the vines for them to dry; apparently the scarcity of local grape-nibbling fauna is such that this is a commercially viable practice.

Naturally, the exact origin of the dried grape method is, and always will be, unknown, but it is a technique that developed around the Mediterranean, particularly in Crete, Greece and Italy. The technique was described as early as the 8th Century BC by Hesiod, a writer of Ancient Greece who penned texts on agriculture and viticulture; he advocated drying the grapes, once harvested, for ten days in the sun, followed by five in the shade, before fermentation. A few centuries later the Phoenician Mago gave much more detail, describing the use of reeds, and points of fermentation, perhaps two thousand years before any winemaker realised the worth of Botrytis.

In modern times the technique has become most associated with Italy; the classic regions of Tuscany, Veneto and Piedmont have all produced wines in this style. In the latter, although in demand during the last millennium, the wines are seldom seen now; in Tuscany, however, many producers continue with Vin Santo. But the tradition continues the length and breadth of Italy, from Trentino down to the Mediterranean islands, often based on Moscato or Malvasia grapes, although many other varieties fit the bill. It remains particularly Dried Grape Wines strong in Veneto, where it is the method behind Recioto di Soave, Amarone and Recioto della Valpolicella, the former using Gargenega, the latter two the Corvina grape. Amarone is perhaps the odd-man-out here, because here the must is fermented to dryness, whereas Recioto and the other Italian types are sweet. Although a thorough search would doubtless reveal producers using this method in the majority of European wine-producing nations, including Spain, Austria, Cyprus and Greece, the very significant producers are few and far between; other than the Vin Santo, Amarone and Recioto of Italy, there are a few rare and expensive Vin de Paille wines made around Hermitage in France, most notably by Chave and Chapoutier, and also in Jura near the Swiss border. The practice is complicated and costly. At harvest time a strict and rigorous selection is necessary, as only the healthiest, defect-free grapes are suitable for a period of drying; any speck of mould will run riot through the harvest as it hangs to dry, bringing absolute ruin. For similar reasons, grapes should be intact and free of any damage to the skins. They are then laid out on trays, and stacked in the drying house, the traditional straw being too attractive to mice and other pests for modern usage, although dry canes or nets may be still be found in use. They may alternatively be hung, traditionally from the rafters, but also from hooks or strings, all sufficiently spaced so that air circulates, another insurance against the development of rot.

Key points

Wines have been made from grapes dried before fermentation for millennia

As with all wines of quality, the sweetness results from dehydration of the grapes

The style is now best typified by Amarone and Recioto della Valpolicella

Here grapes are harvested, stacked and dried in purpose-built drying houses

When it comes to fermentation this is likely to be a slow affair, although this is true of all sweet wines. It may need encouragement by heating the must, particularly as the time that has passed during the drying of the grapes means temperatures are now even lower than they were at harvest time. The drying time varies according to the variety, and may be as long as four months for Amarone, although many grapes will dry sufficiently in as many weeks. Alternatively cultured yeast may be used to kickstart the fermentation. Following completion of the process the wine is racked off the lees, which may be put to use bolstering a lesser Valpolicella wine, so making ripasso. Many traditional styles then involve oxidative handling, introducing a rancio character to the style, although simpler, aromatic styles based on Moscato, Muscat, and Recioto di Soave, are more likely to be protected from oxidation. My own palate favours those wines that are free from oxidation, and as a number of examples of Vin Santo stick with the traditional style it is not a wine I purchase. I have, however, been known to sample the classic styles of Veneto, from producers such as Allegrini, Brigaldara, Tommaso Bussola, Cà del Pipa, Speri, Tedeschi and Zenato.

Next time I will be looking at another ancient method of making sweet wine which is still widely used around Mediterranean Europe; Vin Doux Naturel. (15/12/05)

Next instalment: Vin Doux Naturel, the Mediterranean way.