Pressing of straw wine

This year's vintage was once again very problematic, full of changes and nature prepared us a lot of different surprises, which require a lot of experience.

Anyway, the 2023 vintage will be one of the best.

The wine year usually ends at the end of October or November, rarely later.

This is not the case for winemakers who are also involved in such rarities as ice or straw wine production. Among such is the traditional family winery Château Valtice - Wine Cellars

"Our winery has been producing straw wines for decades. There, your wine year will roll over into the next calendar year because the grapes have to lie on straw or mats for more than 90 days." says David Št'astný from Château Valtice - Wine Cellars.

Harvesting of grapes of the Pálava variety took place on 29 September 2023 on our premium vineyard Brodské stráně, from which, among other things, there was also a wine of the Sauvignon variety of the 1997 vintage, which was the absolute champion at the international exhibition in Ptuj, Slovenia.

We harvested almost 1.9 thousand kg and started pressing the grapes on Thursday 11 January 2024. The grapes were therefore lying on straw from our own organic farm for more than 100 days. The Pálava variety is perfectly suited for the production of straw wine thanks to its higher natural sugar content and its beautiful aroma, reminiscent of rose blossom and lime honey. We expect to press around 1,400 kg of grapes and the expected yield will be up to 450-500 l. We will press the grapes for a minimum of three days. This is also what makes straw wine production different.

The key is for the winemaker to have healthy grapes, a well-ventilated area where you lay your picked grapes on straw. And you can't do it without strong nerves either. The process of making straw wine takes several times longer than making other wines, so we will have to wait almost two years for the straw wine from this year's vintage.

But if you want to taste this exclusive wine, we currently have straw wine from the 2021 vintage, from the Děvín grape variety.