Hermitage AC; Hermitage Vin de Paille AC [ehr-mee-TAHZH]

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Hermitage AC; Hermitage Vin de Paille AC
[ehr-mee-TAHZH]

1. Some of France’s greatest wines come from the Hermitage AC, which is located in the northern portion of the RHÔNE region south of Lyon. Hermitage, sometimes spelled Ermitage, produces both red and white wines, both of excellent repute. The vineyards are thought to have been cultivated as far back as the Roman occupation of this area. The name Hermitage is attributed to a knight, Gaspard de Sterimberg, who, after fighting in the religious wars in the early 1200s, retired to this hill as a hermit to tend his vines and meditate. Accolades for Hermitage wines go back centuries, at least to the 1600s, when Louis XIV reigned. The vineyards are planted on the very steep, sun-drenched hillside above the town of Tain-l’Hermitage across the Rhône River from Tournon. The hill itself has three sections, each with a different soil type, and the producers who use grapes from all three of these sections seem to produce the best wines. SYRAH is the red grape of Hermitage. The white varieties MARSANNE and ROUSSANNE are used both in the white wines and in the blend for the robust red wines. Hermitage red wines, which are deep-colored, full-flavored, full-bodied (see BODY), and intense, can be brash and TANNIC when young. Those from the best VINTAGES can take up to 15 years to SOFTEN and can AGE for 30 or 40 years or more. The powerful white wines from Hermitage are capable of lengthy aging as well, some as long as the red wines. The Hermitage Vin de Paille AC is an APPELLATION for the rarely produced, sweet, white VIN DE PAILLE wines. 2. Hermitage is a name used by South Africans for the grape variety CINSAUT. 3. In Australia, Hermitage was another name for the grape variety Syrah, which is most often called Shiraz.

Related Links: Crozes-Hermitage AC, Marsanne, Roussanne, tannins, appellation

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