French term for a straw wine (paille = straw) dubbed in German-speaking countries. This sweet wine is made from raisined or dried grapes. They are either spread out on straw (paille) or laid or hung on wooden racks in well-ventilated rooms. This causes part of the water content to evaporate and the sweetness and total extract content to increase enormously. According to the English wine writer Cyrus Redding (1785-1870), this technique was widely used in France at the beginning of the 19th century. He reports such wines in Hermitage (Rhône), as well as in Alsace and Jura. In the latter, vins de paille are produced today in smaller quantities in Arbois, Côtes du Jura and L'Etoile.
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Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien