[ver-NAHT-chah dee sahn jee-mee-NYAH-noh] 1. A white-wine grape grown in Italy's tuscany region, primarily southwest of Florence around the medieval hilltop town of San Gimignano. Vernaccia di San Gimignano dates back as far as the thirteenth century, and its origins are thought to be Greek. The wines produced from this variety vary tremendously. Traditionally made, they're golden in color, rich, and full-bodied (see body), with an oxidized style and a slightly bitter edge to the flavor. More modern winemaking techniques produce paler-colored wines with crisper, lighter characteristics. 2. A docg area based around the town of San Gimignano that was the very first to receive doc status when Italy began implementing its wine-classification system in 1966. It was upgraded to docg status in 1993, and at the same time approval was given for up to 10 percent chardonnay grapes to be added. In addition to the reputation for the wines produced from its namesake grape, the town of San Gimignano is renowned for its medieval atmosphere. It's replete with tall, narrow towers that were built during a time when higher was considered better and safer.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano
| Wine Lover's Companion: Vernaccia di San Gimignano; Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG |
| 5min Related Video: Vernaccia di San Gimignano |
| Wikipedia: Vernaccia di San Gimignano |
Vernaccia is a white Italian wine, made from the Vernaccia grape, produced in and around the Italian hill town of San Gimignano in Tuscany. Since the Renaissance it has been considered one of Italy's finest white wines. It was the first Italian wine to be awarded Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) status in 1966; on July 9th, 1993 it was upgraded to Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG).[1]
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History
The earliest recorded mention of the wine appear in the archives of record of San Gimignano from 1276. Due to the difficulties in cultivating the Vernaccia grape, the wine fell out of favor in the early 20th century as the more prolific Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes were planted. By the 1960s, Vernaccia di San Gimignano experienced a resurgence as its distinctive, crisp qualities established itself as a popular alternative to the more bland wines produced from Trebbiano and Malvasia blends.[1]
Viticulture and winemaking
The name "Vernaccia" is applied to several different Italian grape, such the Sardinian grape used in Vernaccia di Oristano and the Marche grape used in the sparkling red wine Vernaccia di Serrapetrona. Ampelographers have determined that the variety grown in San Gimignano is different and distinct from the other Italian Vernaccias and is most likely not related. The Tuscan variety is believed to be the oldest grape variety but its origins are not clear with ampelographers disagreeing if it originally came from Eastern Europe, Greece or indigenous to the Italian peninsula.[2]
In San Gimignano, the Vernaccia grapes planted in sandstone based vineyards tend to produce the best examples of Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The wine is characteristically dry with crisp acidity and a slightly bitter finish. Modern winemaking has introduced the use of oak aging to give the wine another layer of complexity and roundness. While very different from the historic style of Vernaccia di San Gimignano, the success of these more modern and international styles have not yet been established.[1]
Vernaccia in literature
Vernaccia is mentioned by Dante Alighieri (Purgatorio XXIV) as leading to Pope Martin IV's gluttony. He ate Bolsena eels pickled in the wine. [3]
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References
- ^ a b c J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 732 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906
- ^ J. Robinson Vines, Grapes & Wines pg 241 Mitchell Beazley 1986 ISBN 1857329996
- ^ Consorizo Della Denominazione San Gimignano History of Vernaccia di San Gimignano Accessed: December 28th, 2007
External links
- History of Vernaccia Wine from sangimignano.net
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
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 | Wine Lover's Companion. Wine Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2003 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Vernaccia di San Gimignano". Read more |
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Mentioned in
- Galestro (wine-related term)
- Carmignano DOCG (wine-related term)
- Vernaccia di Oristano (wine-related term)
- Tuscany (wine-related term)
- Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (wine-related term)
- Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) (wine-related term)
- Italy (wine-related term)
- Vernaccia
- Vino Greco
- Toscana (wine)
- List of Italian DOCG wines
- San Gimignano
- Ghino di Tacco
