Quessac Les Vignes

The village of Quessac les Vignes, near Beaulieu sur Dordogne in the Correze department is famous for its "vin paillé", a sweet wine produced by a dozen local wine-growers.

The grapes are harvested, then dried on a bed of rye-straw, or "paille", until the sugar content is much higher than normal - usually the following January or February - by which time fermentation has begun. Then the wine is made in the normal way.

The process has been known in the area for some time - the local hotel is called "Au Vin Paillé"!