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The grapes were dried out using process called appassimento or rasinate (to dry and shrivel) in Italian. This is traditionally done on straw mats following a method used to make Italian Amarone wines. While the Amarone process is primarily for red wine grapes, the history of straw wines, or raison wines dates back to 800BC and the process was used with both red and white wine grapes.<ref name=StrawWine>Straw Wine, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_wine</ref> The drying process typically takes around 120 days. Drying the grapes results in the grapes losing 25-45% of their weight and the process concentrates the remaining sugars and flavors. As a result, the grapes produce a raisony, full-bodied flavor with low acidity.<ref name=Amarone>Amarone Wines, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amarone</ref>