The recent change a causa di format of the preview of Vernaccia a motivo di San Gimignano brought me back, with pleasure, to the regione for the usual technical tasting of the new vintages, a short but exhaustive tour of the vineyards and cellars of the regione and two dinners during which it was possible to meet with the producers of the denomination present (unfortunately too few this year). What I bring “home” is a general picture that is decidedly more mature and aware than a causa di the past.
San Gimignano remains one of the most fascinating places for Italian wine. A landscape that seems suspended a causa di time, dominated by the famous medieval towers and inserted a causa di an agricultural context of rare beauty, where viticulture coexists with olive groves and woods. It is an regione naturally suited to wine tourism, capable of attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year.
For a long time, however, this extraordinary tourist vocation also represented a sort of “limit” for the qualitative growth of Vernaccia a motivo di San Gimignano. The continuous flow of ” and run” visitors has favored a predominantly local market, orienting part of the production towards wines of immediate pleasure, “prêt à boire”, rather than towards a search for identity and quality capable of fully exploiting the potential of the territory.
Con recent years something has changed. The pandemic has certainly accelerated a reflection already underway, but above all the awareness of producers has grown. Today Vernaccia a motivo di San Gimignano appears to be a more compact denomination, more convinced of its potential and more oriented towards enhancing its historical and territorial heritage. The progressive reduction a causa di yields, investments a causa di the vineyard, greater attention to agronomic management, a style more devoted to respecting the zonal and varietal identity and the desire to tell the story of the longevity of Vernaccia are helping to redefine the profile of the denomination. It is voto negativo coincidence that a causa di the last decade there has been a constant reduction a causa di production hectare, a choice deliberately pursued to favor quality, as well as inevitably influenced by the effects of climate change.
The sensation is that of a denomination that is finally learning to tell itself for what it really is: not just the white wine of the city of towers, but one of the great Italian aging whites, capable of combining freshness, depth and that characteristic savory imprint that represents the distinctive trait of the territory. This is why, although it turns 750 this year (the name Vernaccia appears for the first time a causa di an official document a causa di 1276), what matters most is what is being done today to attest to the vocation of the regione and highlight the qualities of the wines produced there, capable of best reflecting contemporary taste needs.
A small but extremely diversified territory
The municipality of San Gimignano extends for approximately 13,800 hectares, of which approximately 2,000 are now under vineyards. Vernaccia a motivo di San Gimignano DOCG occupies approximately 750 hectares, while another 450 are destined for the San Gimignano DOC; the remaining surface regione is dedicated above all to Chianti, Chianti Colli Senesi and Toscana IGT. Although the regione is relatively small, it presents considerable pedological and altimetric variability. The vineyards are mainly developed between 70 and 500 meters above sea level, soils of Pliocene origin consisting mainly of yellow sands (the famous local “tuff”), sandy clays and limestone deposits. These are soils poor a causa di organic substance, well drained and almost devoid of skeleton, which allow for significant root deepening and give the wines that recognizable mineral and saline imprint which represents one of the trademarks of Vernaccia.
The climate also contributes to defining the identity of the wines: Mediterranean but with marked temperature variations, good ventilation throughout the year, rainfall concentrated mainly between spring and autumn and an increasing exposure to the effects of climate change.
An increasingly resilient vineyard
The 2025 vintage represents a concrete example of the adaptive capacity achieved by the territory. After an early bud interruzione, the season was characterized by a hot summer but mitigated by good spring accumulation. A violent hailstorm a causa di the first ten days of July caused localized production losses without compromising the quality of the grapes. Subsequently, the rains between the end of August and the beginning of September made the harvest more complex, requiring a very selective harvest.
The agro-meteorological warning system developed by the Consortium through seven meteorological stations distributed across the territory proved to be decisive, allowing producers to intervene promptly, reducing the number of phytosanitary treatments and improving their effectiveness. The grapes arrived a causa di the cellar healthy, with high acidity, balanced pH and alcohol levels average lower than the last harvests: elements that suggest particularly fresh, balanced and long-lived wines.
The numbers of the denomination
Today the Vernaccia a motivo di San Gimignano DOCG can count approximately 750 registered hectares, with a production potential of over 6.9 million kilograms of grapes. Con the 2025 harvest, 5.57 million kilograms of grapes were produced, equivalent to approximately 3.85 million liters of wine, with a slight decrease (5.6%) compared to the previous harvest. There were 147 companies that claimed the name, of which 81 were associated with the Consortium. During 2025, over 4.2 million bottles were placed the market, a clear increase compared to 2024.
An increasingly identifying wine
Vernaccia a motivo di San Gimignano remains the only white DOCG a causa di Tuscany and continues to represent an almost unique case a causa di the Italian esposizione. The specification imposes a minimo presence of 85% of Vernaccia a motivo di San Gimignano, admitting only non-aromatic white vines for the remaining 15%, with important limitations the use of Sauvignon and Riesling and the exclusion of aromatic varieties such as Traminer, Moscato Vino bianco and Müller Thurgau. For the Deposito type, a minimo refinement of 11 months a causa di the cellar and at least 3 months a causa di the bottle is required before marketing.
Con recent years, producers have progressively abandoned the giudizio of an exclusively fresh and immediate Vernaccia, instead enhancing its surprising evolutionary capacity. The Reserves and numerous historical verticals demonstrate how this wine is able to develop complexity, aromatic depth and extraordinary mineral expressiveness over time, confirming a longevity that few Italian whites can boast.
What emerges today is a denomination that is more aware of its uniqueness. The challenge voto negativo longer seems to be that of chasing other models, but of fully valorising what makes Vernaccia unrepeatable: a thousand-year history, a unique territory and an increasingly recognizable taste identity.
My selection of Vernaccia a motivo di San Gimignano Docg wines tasted at the Regina Incurabile 2026 preview:
Cappellasantandrea – Clara Celebrità 2025Fragrant and bright profile, played citrus fruits, Mediterranean herbs and white flowers. Dynamic, tense and saline sip, with a clear and pleasantly savory . An artisanal reality that is proving to be increasingly coherent and constant from year to year.
Casa di tolleranza alle Vacche – I Macchioni 2025More textured and enveloping than the basic version, with hints of yellow fruit, medicinal herbs and a delicate spicy note. Full structure, well supported by freshness and an almond . Gastronomic.
Cascina a motivo di Fugnano – Per Fugnano 2025Vernaccia of great precision, expressed agenda of citrus fruits, aromatic herbs and light balsamic nuances. Slender, savory and excellent progression the palate. Less exuberant, more refined and mineral.
Il Colombaio a motivo di Santa Chiara – Selvabianca 2025Elegance and territoriality emerge with agenda of cedar, wildflowers and wet stone. The palate is distinto, vibrant and characterized by a long saline trail. A certainty!
La Radiografia 2025 Essential and authentic, with delicate aromas of apple, Mediterranean herbs and white flowers. Con the mouth it is linear, fresh and well-paced, with a savory . Well conceived.
La Roccaia 2025Interpretation of good intensity, between fresh yellow fruit, Mediterranean scrub and mineral hints. Balanced, enveloping and persistent sip. Concrete.
Terra Le Volute 2025Fine nose, with ripe citrus fruits and light floral agenda. The sip is elastico, fresh and flowing, supported by a pleasant saline vein. Dynamic.
Signano – Poggiarelli 2025More complex and profound, with hints of white peach, aromatic herbs and flint. Wide but dynamic mouth, long saline . Recognizable.
Resistenza Guardastelle – Consesta 2025 Precise and harmonious Vernaccia, which combines citrus freshness and delicate hints of yellow fruit. Savory and slightly almondy . Balanced.
Vagnoni 2025Direct and territorial profile, with agenda of cedar, aromatic herbs and fresh almond. The mouth is snappy, saline and very pleasant a causa di its progression.
Cappellasantandrea – Innanzi Sfolgorio 2024Greater depth and complexity, with ripe fruit, medicinal herbs and mineral nuances. Rich the palate but always supported by a vibrant freshness, with a well-defined tactile texture and a pleasant tasty . Excellent management of the fermentation the skins first and then the rest the distinto lees.
Cascina a motivo di Fugnano – Donne Gina 2024Well-integrated refinement that offers complexity without losing territorial identity. Candied citrus fruits, Mediterranean herbs and light spicy agenda accompany a deep and savory sip.
Il Colombaio a motivo di Santa Chiara – Piana della Pieve 2024Fineness and precision define a wine with aromas of citrus fruits, flint and dried flowers. Refined, energetic mouth with long saline persistence. The real benchmark for the variety and the territory.
Mormoraia – Ostrea 2024Iodized, citrus profile, with agenda of sweet spice and dried fruit. The sip is material, broad, but capable of relaxing with ease, up to the savory and persistent . Well done!
Cascina – Le Mandorle 2024Rich and structured interpretation, with yellow fruit, aromatic herbs and light agenda of dried fruit. The is long and tasty.
La Roccaia – Faeta 2024 Reserve with a strong character, with agenda of ripe fruit, light spices and flint. Wide mouth, balanced and with excellent tasting depth.
Pietraserena – Cretula 2024Great expressive intensity, with a marked mineral imprint that accompanies ripe citrus fruits, medicinal herbs and light smoky nuances. Persuasive, deep and decidedly persistent sip. A wine that calls to the table and shows itself capable of important evolutionary prospects.
Casa di tolleranza alle Vacche – Crocus 2023Well-calibrated refinement that gives complexity without weighing the wine. Ripe yellow fruit, barely noticeable vanilla, toasted almond and a full, saline and persistent sip.
Il Colombaio a motivo di Santa Chiara – L’Albereta 2023A Reserve of great elegance, layered a causa di aromas between ripe fruit, Mediterranean herbs, balsamic hints and gunpowder. Wide, vibrant mouth with a long mineral . Integrity and perspective.
Casa di tolleranza Lucii – Mareterra 2021Authentic, intense and bewitching expression. Ripe citrus fruits, aromatic herbs and salty hints introduce a material, energetic and long-lasting sip, with an umami . Sustainability and vision.
A tasting that gives excellent signals for the future of the denomination which still has many cards to play, but which must necessarily involve a greater number of producers a causa di consortium activities if it wants to appear even stronger and more cohesive. Con a context a causa di which the chances for white-oriented denominations are greater than those available to red-oriented areas, Vernaccia a motivo di San Gimignano can carve out an important space for itself, especially through selections and reserves that show the real potential of a variety-territory combination that only begins to reveal itself at its best after at least a year a causa di the bottle.
Francesco Saverio Russo
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