📜 Hermitage
A famous granite hill above Tain-l'Hermitage: powerful reds from Syrah and whites from Marsanne.
Hermitage is a famous appellation in the northern part of the Rhône Valley in France. It occupies a steep granite hill above the town of Tain-l'Hermitage, right above the river. The slope faces south and warms up well.
The main wines of Hermitage are reds from Syrah. They are dark and powerful, with the aroma of black berries, pepper, smoke and herbs, and firm tannin. Good red Hermitage needs ageing and opens up after about ten years. But white wines are also made here from Marsanne and Roussanne: they are rich, with notes of nuts, honey and pear.
There is also a rarity, a sweet straw wine made from dried berries. All these wines are still, neither sparkling nor fortified.
The name is linked to a legend about a knight who became a hermit on this hill. Hermitage stands next to other Northern Rhône appellations, such as Cornas, but its wines are traditionally considered among the most significant in the region.
How it connects to Wine
📜 Hermitage ← main grape of ← 🍇 Roussanne → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Where it is
- 📍 Northern Rhône
- Related to
- 🍷 Guigal Ermitage Ex-Voto Rouge, 🍷 Guigal Ermitage Ex-Voto Blanc, 🍷 Guigal Hermitage Rouge, 🍷 Guigal Hermitage Blanc, 🍷 Still wine, 🍷 Sweet wine
- Main grapes
- 🍇 Syrah, 🍇 Marsanne, 🍇 Roussanne
- Wines
- 🍷 Red wine, 🍷 White wine
- In other topics
- 🧀 Saint-Marcellin
Frequently asked questions
What is Hermitage in wine?
An appellation in the northern Rhône Valley, France, known for powerful red wines from Syrah and whites from Marsanne and Roussanne.
What is the soil in Hermitage?
Granite, on a steep slope above the town of Tain-l'Hermitage.
What wines are made in Hermitage?
Reds from Syrah, whites from Marsanne and Roussanne, and a rare sweet straw wine.
What to read next
- 🍷 Guigal Ermitage Ex-Voto Blanc — Guigal Ermitage Ex-Voto Blanc: white wine by Guigal from the northern Rhône; Ermitage.
- 🧀 Saint-Marcellin — Saint-Marcellin is a French PGI soft cheese of raw or thermised cow's milk from east of the Rhône by the Vercors: a small cylinder with rounded edges and white to grey-blue mould.
- 🍷 Red wine — Wine from dark grapes that ferments with the skins and takes its colour from them.
- 🍷 Still wine — Wine without noticeable bubbles: EU category 1, at least 8.5–9 % actual alcohol and no more than 15 % total; red, white, rosé or orange.
- 🍷 Guigal Hermitage Blanc — Guigal Hermitage Blanc: white wine by Guigal from the northern Rhône; Hermitage.
Similar
📜 Crozes-Hermitage · 📜 Saint-Joseph · 📜 Saint-Péray · 📜 Collines Rhodaniennes · 📜 Cornas · 📍 La Palma
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.