Sweet Wine Making

Question 1

List the ways in which sweet wines can me made.

Answer 1

Stopping fermentation
Adding a sweet component
Concentrating grape sugars

Question 2

Name the four ways that grape sugars can be concentrated

Answer 2

Noble rot
Drying the grapes on the vine (passerillage)
Drying grapes after picking
Freezing the grapes on the vine

Question 3

What is passerillage? Explain

Answer 3

Drying the grapes on the vine
Explain: once grapes have reached full sugar ripeness they begin to dehydrate and turn to raisins on the vine, increasing the sugar content in the juice. Warm dry autumns are needed for this to happen, or else grey rot can develop. These wines have an over-ripe fruit character (fried fruit, tropical fruits) wines made this way are sometimes labelled as late harvest.