Term for the removal of as much water as possible from the grapes using various methods to increase the concentration of sugar and total extract. The term is derived from the raisin-like berries that result. However, the purpose here is not to produce sultanas for consumption, but for the production of sweet wine. Already in ancient Rome, a sultana wine called passum (lat. passus = dried) was produced. The desired condition of the grapes can be achieved in various ways. The most common way is to leave the grapes on the vine for a correspondingly long time and to harvest them very late (see in the picture). Infestation of the grapes by botrytis is desired and favours the process. The second possibility is to bed the harvested grapes on straw or reeds for a longer period of time or to hang them on racks and let them dry. In Italy, the technique of taglio del tralcio is also common, where the fruit-bearing shoot is cut to interrupt the juice supply to the grapes. For the wine types Ausbruch, Trockenbeerenauslese and Strohwein, grapes must be as completely dried as possible. In Italy, such wines are called passito. See also a list of relevant keywords under dried gra pes.
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Andreas Essl
Autor, Modena