About Hermitage Wine

January 27, 2011

Hermitage Wine

Hermitage (sometimes written Ermitage or L’Hermitage) is possibly the most enduringly prestigious of all the Rhone appellations, although it is closely followed by Cote Rotie 30 miles (48km) to the north, and Chateauneuf du Pape 70 miles (112km) to the south.

The fame of the rich red wines of Hermitage wines reached its peak during the 19th century, just before the wines of Bordeaux’s Medoc were classified and began their rise to stardom. Hermitage was an official wine of the French court under King Louis XIII, whose son maintained the tradition, and even presented visiting foreign royalty with the wine as a gift. Before international legal changes were made to protect the Hermitage name, it was used to symbolize a particular wine style, and to imply high quality. Australian winery Penfolds added the name Hermitage to their prestigious Bin 95 wine ‘Grange’ until 1989.

Both red and white Hermitage wines are long-lived and full-bodied. The red wines, which may be aged for 30 years or more, are known for their rich aromas of leather, coffee and red berries, and are made exclusively from Syrah. The less famous whites, which may be cellared for about 15 years, have aromas of honeysuckle, tropical fruit and earthy minerals, and are made predominantly from Marsanne with limited use of Roussanne.

Hermitage also produces ‘vins de paille‘, sweet white wines made from Marsanne and Roussanne grapes which have been dried out in the sun, on straw mats (paille means ‘straw’ in French). These wines are expensive because of the labor-intensive processes required to create them, but they are also rich, full flavored and very long-lived. These wines are only made in warmer years, and it is strictly forbidden for Hermitage vins de paille to undergo chaptalization at any time.

The land on which these vines are grown is strictly limited by local geography and thus unable to expand outwards (unlike that of the Saint-Joseph appellation, which has increased its geographical coverage by a factor of ten over the past fifty years). The whole extent of the steep granite hillside on which the Hermitage vineyards are planted faces south, meaning that the grapes benefit from the maximum amount of sunlight throughout the day. The topsoil on the hillside is relatively thin when compared with that of the valley floor, and is collectively made up of a wide variety of types, ranging from sandy gravel in the west to rockier areas higher up, and a limestone in the centre. As intense Rhone sunshine warms the hillside during the day, the granite bedrock stores this heat, encouraging the grapes to ripen more fully than those in less exposed sites. The effect of the local terroirs is most pronounced on the western side of the hill, which is steeper than the eastern side, and enjoys the most prolonged exposure to afternoon sunshine.

It is near the peak of the hill, 900ft (275m) above the town of Tain-L’Hermitage, that the Hermitage chapel is to be found. It gives its name to the town below, two appellations, the vineyard around it, and a large number of contradictory myths and legends.

Source: http://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-hermitage

Are these articles useful for enhancing your wine and dine experience in the Philippines. Do they also help you with travel, leisure, vacation, dining out, nightlife and other leisure activities plans in Manila and other major cities of Philippines? Yats Restaurant hopes to provide you with ample information so you can plan your trips to Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone whether you are travelling from Manila or other Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Malaysia or Korea.

Restaurant reservations in Manila Philippines, planning of menu, selection of wine for dinner and booking a private function and event in Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone can all be handled. Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar has been regarded by many to be the premier restaurant north of Manila Philippines. Its 3000-line award-winning restaurant wine list has kept many wine lovers happy dining in this restaurant in Angeles City Clark Philippines for over a decade.

Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar was built by Hong Kong-based Yats International in 2000 to provide a world-class cozy fine dining restaurant, business meeting facilities and venues for private dinners and functions in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone. Pampanga Angeles City Clark Philippines was selected for this restaurant because of safety, clean air, absence of traffic and proximity to Manila and Subic.

For comments, inquiries and reservations, email Restaurant@Yats-International.com or call these numbers:

(045) 599-5600 0922-870-5178 0917-520-4401

Http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

Getting to this fine dining restaurant of Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga Philippines
How to get to this fine-dining restaurant in Clark Philippines? Once you get to Clark Freeport, go straight until you hit Mimosa. After you enter Mimosa, stay on the left on Mimosa Drive, go past the Holiday Inn and Yats Restaurant (green top, independent 1-storey structure) is on your left. Just past the Yats Restaurant is the London Pub.