The Cane Cut technique

Cane Cut is a viticultural technique designed to increase the sugar concentration in almost-ripe grapes - the canes on the vine are cut at optimal ripeness and the fruit is left to dry on the cane, increasing the sweetness and flavour intensity of the grapes.

New World name for an Old World tradition

Straw wines are sweet wines or dessert wines made from sun-dried grapes (i.e. raisins) and they date as far back as the days of the Roman Empire and ancient Greece. The name ‘straw wines’ is because of the technique of drying out grapes on straw mats under the hot Mediterranean sun. In France, the process of producing straw wines is today known as passerillage. In Italy the name for straw wine is passito, while in Spain it’s called vino de pasas. 

There are two main techniques for producing Old World straw wines.

• The first is where grapes are harvested on the vine and air-dried on racks or on mats under the sun,
• The second technique sees winemakers twist vines to halt water flow to grapes until they are shrivelled and ready for harvesting.

The term “Cane Cut” originated in Australia, where this technique is typically used to produce sweet wines. By cutting the canes almost at the time of harvest, water supply to the fruit is halted, and so the berries start to shrivel (as in the production of dried-grape wines). Sugar concentration is elevated as water is lost through the berry skin and acidity may also increase. 

Some winemakers are cutting vines before the grapes are ripe. This leaves much more acidity in the grape than if already-ripe grapes are harvested and dried in the sun. Extra acidity boosts the flavour profile and with higher sugar content helps boost the ageing potential of cane cut wines.

Midalidare Cane Cut Syrah 2023 – our first Cane Cut wine

At Midalidare, due to the specific terroir and the initially higher acidity level, we apply the technique when reaching optimal grape ripeness. The pruning of the Syrah vines is double Guillot or double VSP (vertical shoot position). The Cane Cut technique follows this standard pruning - the two old shoots are partially cut from the vine and the fruit is left hanging from the plant along with the severed cane. This allows controlled, light drying of the bunches for a certain period of time depending on the development of the vines and season’s temperature and may vary from harvest to harvest. Of course, the timing also depends on our winemaker’s vision for the future wine, but usually the fully ripened grapes remain on the vineyard for several weeks after the Cane Cut pruning.

The Cane Cut method might be harmful for plants. In our opinion, it is incorrect and dangerous to apply the technique to very young plantations. That is why we plan annual rotation, giving each block a rest for at least 6-7 years.