Straw wine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Straw Wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice. The result is similar to that of the ice wine process, but suitable for warmer climates. The classic method dries clusters of grapes on mats of straw in the sun, but some regions dry them under cover, some hang up the grapes, and the straw may be replaced by modern racks. The technique dates back to pre-Roman times, and most production of these wines has been in Northern Italy and the French Alps. However producers in other areas are now starting to experiment with the method.
Straw wines are typically sweet to very sweet white wines, similar in density and sweetness to Sauternes and capable of long life. The low yields and labour-intensive production method means that they are quite expensive. Around Verona red grapes are dried, and are fermented in two different ways to make a dry red wine (Amarone) and a sweet red wine (Recioto della Valpolicella).
Contents |
[edit] History
There are references to golden sweet wines in the Mediterranean during Phoenician times.[1] A dried grape wine known as the Cypriot Manna was described in 800 BC by the Greek poet Hesiod.[2] [3] The first description of the production of a raisin wine comes from Columella in the first century AD, writing about the Passum wine made in ancient Carthage. The modern Italian name for these wines, passito, echoes this ancient word. Perhaps the closest thing to passum is Moscato Passito di Pantelleria, made from Zibibbo, a variety of the ancient muscat grape, on an island in the Malta Channel opposite where Carthage used to be.[4]
[edit] France
Vin de Paille is the French for 'straw wine', made only in the ripest vintages. Perhaps the best known example is made in the Cotes du Jura (Arbois and sometimes L'Etoile) from a blend of Chardonnay, Savagnin and the red grape Poulsard. Vins de paille are also made from Marsanne in Hermitage, and from Riesling in Alsace. From Corrèze, his name is Vin Paillé. Traditionally the grapes are placed indoors on straw mats for up to three months, and the final wine has 10-20% residual sugar, with flavours of peaches and apricots.
Producers in the Jura include Gaspard Feuillet, Chateau Béthanie, Domaine Berthet-Bondet, Frédéric Lornet and Henri Maire.
[edit] Austria/Germany
In Austria, Strohwein or Schilfwein is a separate Prädikat for straw wine with the same must weight requirements as Beerenauslese (which is typically made from grapes affected by noble rot). This is in principle to Vin de Paille, but is rather rare. In Germany, no official designation exist for straw wines.
[edit] Greece/Cyprus
Some raisin wines are produced in Greece and Cyprus.[5] Commandaria claims descent from wine made by the Knights Templar at La Grande Commanderie in Cyprus, and hence claims to be oldest named wine still in production. Commandaria is made from two indigenous grapes, the white Xynisteri and the red Mavro, an ancestor of the Négrette grape known as Pinot St-George in the US.
[edit] Italy
In Italy, the generic name for these wines is passito. The method of production is called rasinate (to dry and shrivel). The Moscato Passito di Pantelleria has already been mentioned above. Other famous passitos include Vin Santo in Tuscany, Recioto and Amarone around Verona, and Sciachetrà from the Cinque terre east of Genoa.
[edit] Tuscany
- See also: Vin Santo
Vin Santo is made in Tuscany from hand-picked grapes that are hung from the rafters to dry. They are fermented in small cigar-shaped barrels called caratelli, and then aged in the caratelli for up to ten years in the roof of the winery. The wine develops a deep golden or amber color, and a sweet, often nutty, taste. Vin Santo is often served as 'Cantucci e Vin Santo', with almond or hazelnut biscuits which are then dipped in the wine.
[edit] Veneto
Recioto di Soave is the passito white wine from around Verona, made from the Garganega grape used in Soave. The name comes from a local dialect word, recie meaning 'ears', a reference to this variety's habit of forming two small clusters of extra-ripe grapes sticking out of the top of the main bunch, that were preferred for this wine. It seems to be an ancient wine, in the 5th century AD, Cassiodorus refers to a sweet white wine from Verona that sounds like Recioto di Soave.[6] The classic accompaniment is Pandoro, Verona's version of panettone.
Torcolato is also passito style white wine from the region. It has a warm golden color and sweet flavor, pleasantly persistent, round and thick; it is an excellent dessert wine, one of the top national wines. It is produced in Breganze ,along the Strada (or Wine Road) between the Astico and Brenta rivers, in the strip of land between the city of Bassano del Grappa and the Valdastico valley. Another match up that could be recommended is between bussolà and Verduzzo Friulano(from Friuli). Not to be confused with other types of Verduzzo produced in the Po Plain, this wine, produced in the Friuli hills, is sweet, full-bodied.
More famous are the passito wines made from the blend of red wine grapes typical of Valpolicella : 40-70% Corvina, 20-40% Rondinella and 5-25% Molinara. The grapes are dried on traditional straw mats or on racks on the valley slopes.
There are two styles of red passito produced in Veneto. If fermentation is complete, the result is Amarone della Valpolicella ("Amarone" - literally "extra bitter", as opposed to sweet). Amarone is a very ripe, raisiny red wine with very little acid, often >15% alcohol (the legal minimum is 14%). Typically Amarone is released five years after the vintage, even though this is not a legal requirement. The pomace left over from pressing off the Amarone is used in the production of ripasso Valpolicellas. Amarone was awarded Denominazione di Origine Controllata status in December 1990.
If fermentation is incomplete, the result is a sweet red wine called Recioto della Valpolicella. Fermentation may get stuck for various reasons, including low nutrient levels, high alcohol or Botrytis metabolites. Grapes dried in the valley bottoms are more prone to noble rot and are favoured for Recioto, whereas grapes intended for Amarone are dried on the higher slopes to avoid Botrytis.
Recioto della Valpolicella is regarded as a good companion to chocolate desserts because of the high acidity in cocoa.
[edit] South Africa
De Trafford created the first Vin de Paille to be released under the new appellation "Wine from Naturally Dried Grapes" in 1997.[5] They use 100% Chenin Blanc.
[edit] Spain
Pedro Ximénez grapes are dried in the sun before being vinified, fortified and matured in a solera system like other sherries.
[edit] USA
Some California wineries are experimenting with the vin de paille style. Tablas Creek make one from 100% roussanne and one from 50% viognier, 25% grenache blanc, and 25% marsanne,[7] reflecting the influence of co-owner Beaucastel, while boutique winery Sine Qua Non makes one from 100% semillon.
In Texas, it was illegal to make wine from dried grapes until 1999, when following pressure from Shawn and Rocko Bruno, who wanted to recreate the raisin wines of their Sicilian heritage, the Alcoholic Beverage Code was amended. [8]
[edit] Straw wine in popular culture
- In The Silence of the Lambs (novel), Hannibal Lecter eats the census taker's liver with fava beans and a "big Amarone", rather than a Chianti as in the film version.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ American Indian Computer Art Project page on Pantelleria
- ^ (1981) The Quality of Foods and Beverages: Chemistry and Technology, ed. George E. Inglett & George Charalambous, Academic Press Inc.. ISBN 0121691012.
- ^ Kambas, Michele. "Cypriots thought to be first Mediterranean winemakers", Kathimerini, Reuters, May 21, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-04-03.
- ^ Article on italianmade.com about Moscato Passito di Pantelleria.
- ^ a b De Trafford 1997 Vinter's Notes
- ^ Italianmade.com article on Recioto di Soave
- ^ Tablas Creek wine list (pdf)
- ^ Bill SB1676 of Texas Legislative Session 76(R)
|
|||||||||||||||||
