As the fruit dries, its natural sugar concentrates. Since they’re no longer on the vine, the grapes also retain their acidity, so the resulting wines keep their balance as they develop flavor.
However, several types of wine are made by this method, and not all of them are sweet—or known as straw wine. Here is a breakdown of the various types of straw-dried wines, as well as what to expect from a true straw wine.
What is Straw Wine?
To make straw wine, white wine grapes are placed on straw mats for 60 to 90 days. There are records of straw wine made by ancient Greek farmers as well as those in what’s now Austria, who coined the term strohwein. It’s likely the practice gained popularity because the resulting high levels of sugar made the wine easier to preserve, and also because drinkers from those eras enjoyed the flavor.
“Straw wine is made from grapes that are dried off of the vine, as opposed to a late-harvest wine where you leave the grapes to develop on the vine,” says Andrea Mullineux, co-owner/winemaker of Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines in the Franschhoek and Swartland regions of South Africa. “When they’re cut off the vine, it halts the ripening process, so you’re no longer losing acidity as the grapes become sweeter. You’re concentrating the sugar, but also concentrating the acidity.”
The straw allows air to travel around the grapes, which prevents rot. It also keeps the fruit clean if placed in a field or barn, which is how the grapes were traditionally dried. Many wineries now use straw-lined plastic or wood racks that are easier to sanitize.
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