As a crisp wine without wood aging, Vidal is very clean with floral and resinous notes Philippines wine supplier Manila wine shop discusses wine by the grape variety Blaufrankisch. This is not well known among wine lovers in Manila but it is a wine that is worth exploring.

December 18, 2010

Vidal Blanc, also known as Vidal 256, is a versatile grape that can be made into a bone-dry, steely wine for fish, a barrel-aged wine reminiscent of a Fumé Blanc, or an ice wine that can rival the best dessert Rhine wines produced in Germany.

Vidal Blanc is a white grape that was developed in the 1930’s by the French hybridizer, Jean Louis Vidal. Monsieur Vidal’s primary goal in developing Vidal Blanc was to produce grapes suitable for the production of cognac (a wine that is made to be distilled into brandy and then aged in wood) in the Charentes region of France. He had no idea that his work would lead to the development of a grape variety that is as versatile as it is for the production of table wines and of great importance to the Eastern United States wine industry. Vidal Blanc tends to be grown in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and New England.
Vidal Blanc is a hybrid that crosses: a) the grape alternatively called St. Emilion in Cognac, France, Ugni Blanc in the south of France, and Trebbiano Toscano in Chianti, Italy; with b) the French-American hybrid grape hybridized by Albert Seibel called Rayon d’Or (Seibel 4986). St. Emilion (aka Ugni Blanc and Trebbiano Toscano) is also used in Europe for the production of wine that is later distilled to make Cognac and Armagnac in France, and distilled spirits in Italy.

As noted earlier, this grape can make a wide range of wine styles including austere wines for fish, big fat Fumé Blanc-style wines if aged in oak, and Rhine wine-like dessert wines. The Hudson Valley, due to its climate, is capable of producing each of these three distinct styles.

As a crisp wine without wood aging, Vidal is very clean with floral and resinous notes that include flavors of pineapple, grapefruit, melon, hazelnuts, pears and orange blossoms. It has high acid levels, so sometimes residual sugar is left to balance with the acid so that the wines do not taste too tart. Other times it is made bone-dry and austere. Further, the wines can have the feel of May Wines in their fruit composition, mineral flinty body and viscosity.

As a Fumé Blanc type of wine, the grapes are left on the vine for a longer period of time (two weeks longer than most or until about the first week of October) to increase their sugars and more importantly to reduce the grape’s acid profile. After being made, the wine is aged in wood for at least six months to soften its body, brighten its nose, give it more complex smoky notes and rich spice and butter flavors, and to elongate its finish. These wines are much more approachable than the steely Vidals described earlier. This style of Vidal is more nutty, buttery, complex and “greasy” (like gin). These wines have the flavor of ripe pears, orange rinds, vanilla, and almonds.

As an ice wine, Vidal has the classic Rhine wine qualities of rich honey, citrus flavors reminiscent of Grand Marnier, and hazelnuts, with an underlying metallic finish like mineral water. The reason these Vidal ice wines, like other ice wines, are so rare and expensive is that the grapes stay on the vines until late November or December. While hanging, the grapes shrivel like raisins, so when they are finally pressed, the grape yields little juice. But this juice is highly concentrated in flavor and sugar. These wines are great alone or with chocolate desserts.

Vidal Blanc is also used by several Hudson Valley wineries as a base wine that is blended with other grapes such as Seyval Blanc, Chardonnay, and Vignoles. Vidal, on its own, has a more muted nose when compared to other white wine varietals, but it has a solid body and foundation. Vidal can be blended with other whites to brighten its taste and to add complexity.

Personally, I like blended Vidals because they tend to be more interesting, more complex, and more complete than the individual component wines that make up these blends. So when visiting a local winery, ask about their white blends and what grape varieties are used in those blends. For fun, buy a few different varietal wines and have a blending party to see what blends you and your guests can come up with.

Vidal Blanc, due to its versatility in the cellar, its ability to be blended with other white wines, and its ability to be grown throughout the Hudson Valley, should continue to have a prominent place in the Hudson Valley wine scene for decades to come.
“Vidal Blanc” and “Pinot Noir” articles are adapted from the forthcoming book “Grapes of the Hudson Valley” by J. Stephen Casscles. In future issues of Hudson Valley Wine magazine, we’ll feature additional excerpts from this definitive work on regional varietals culled from decades of the author’s tasting notes and personal experience.

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.

Generally regarded by food and wine lovers in Manila to be one of the best restaurants outside of Manila, Yats Restaurant also offers a comfortable and stylish wine bar called the Magnum Room. This allows guests of this fine dining restaurant to stay after dinner to enjoy a glass of Cognac, Armagnac, Port, Sauternes or Scotch. This is one of the best restaurants in Pampanga to drink wine. Other selections of wine in this fine dining restaurant in Clark Pampanga include fine wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Napa Valley, South Africa, Australia, Germany, Spain and Italy. Some of the popular choices of wine for guests of the good restaurants in Pampanga include Chianti, Chablis, Meursault, Vosne-Romanee, Corton and Vintage Port. . Next time you travel north to Pampanga, don’t forget to wine and dine at this famous Clark restaurant which is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Air Base.