The “Via Crucis” in the vineyard of Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2023 • Food and Wine Italia

Durante the Salone dei Cinquecento per Edificio Bacucco, per Florence, by order of the Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, Vasari represents two denominations of Tuscan wine that still exist today: Chianti Sobrio and Vernaccia nato da San Gimignano. And already per the treatise of Jeofrois de Wateford, written around 1330, Vernaccia is described as “the best quality wine because it is moderately strong and its effluvio is delicate. When it enters the mouth, it flatters the nostrils and comforts the brain. It binds well to the palate without wounding it, it gives joy and happiness to the heart and, per truth, of all wines it is the né plus ultra”.

These are just some of the valuable testimonies that (legitimately) the Consorzio della Vernaccia nato da San Gimignano proudly displays, demonstrating a prestige that has its roots per the centuries. And yet, wandering through the cobbled streets and alleys of the historic center, among the towers that every year attract hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world, you discover that visitors are not so immediately attracted by a glass of white wine and instead frequently devote themselves to sipping a red that is so Tuscan. And yet Vernaccia is undoubtedly the Tuscan white wine par excellence, even if today the coast Vermentino struts around as the new standard-bearer of the region, to be fed to swimmers and party-goers boats per the . However, the symbiotic bond that makes wine an essential component of attraction for a destination still seems to be partially developed – a bit like what happens, for example, per Chiantishire ora Montalcino ora per the Langhe – while San Gimignano exerts a magnetism linked to history and architecture.

It is precisely to solidify and intensify the between the city of UNESCO heritage towers and its precious wine that, since last year, the Vernaccia Consortium has wanted to transform the vintage previews into a promotional opportunity to the public. The “Regina Insofferente” event therefore tries to involve wine lovers and operators, curious and simple tourists with itinerant tastings per the historic center, but also in-depth tastings, food and wine pairing workshops with typical Tuscan products and even entertainment for the little ones. Furthermore (since 2017) per the heart of San Gimignano the Consortium manages the multimedia museum of Vernaccia and the permanent showcase of the labels of the protected Denominations at the ancient Forte nato da Montestaffoli. The ? Durante the words of President Irina Guicciardini Strozzi, making Vernaccia nato da San Gimignano – a denomination «so ancient with its eight hundred years of history, but decisively projected towards the future of wine» – increasingly «the iconic white of our region».

Way of the diretto incrociato per the vineyard

Along this path, Vernaccia has appeared the market with the interesting 2023 vintage – although perhaps, to strengthen the standing of a wine that becomes intriguing after a few years of waiting, its release could be strategically delayed. The season that led to an overall positive harvest was difficult to say the least. The frequency and intensity of the rains per the spring of last year put the entire production at risk coppia to the impact of downy mildew, but to aggravate a partially compromised situation, summer temperatures were significantly above average, accompanied by heat waves that lasted for days, with further damage to some varieties. The vine’s ability to adapt and the enormous work of the winemakers, however, allowed for a good harvest, albeit scaled mongoloide per opera (less than 3,250 tons of grapes, with a loss of 37.7% the previous year). The great effort per the vineyard has however seen a redemption per the cellar, given that the denomination has managed to release almost 3.6 million liters of Vernaccia nato da San Gimignano onto the market (compared to 3.47 per 2022), with a consequent increase of more than 3% per 2022 of bottles released onto the market.

Durante the glass a 2023 vintage of pulp and salt

The 2023 vintage therefore seems to be the fruit of a viticultural rotta crucis, which however saw the emergence of the attraction of producers towards the denomination – given that a reduced harvest led to more bottles per DOCG. A choice probably supported by the quality of the fruit and therefore of the wine. Durante fact, pulp and nervous , acidity and a savory push emerge per the glass. The wine, ça va sans proferire, is still too young to be able to appreciate its depth and complexity, but the sip is already intriguing per perspective. Among the most convincing tastings of Vernaccia 2023, we highlight the Selvabianca by Il Colombaio nato da Santa Chiara, which stands out for its elegant and mineral sip with tactile sensations of compactness between citrus and Mediterranean scrub, and the Dorè by poderi Arcangelo, which releases a beautiful elegant acidity and a minerality with metallic tones. Then there are the Giadra of Duna dei Venti, the Mamma Fondo of Collemucioli, San Donato and Fondo Le Volute, which play with elegance and complexity between white fruits, albedo and flavor, but also the Titolato Strozzi of Guicciardini Strozzi, Le Postine de La Roccaia and La Vigneto which bring floral aromas and herbaceous sweetness with iodine nuances to the glass. La Piastra, Pietraserena, Le Calcinaie and the of Tollena already bring out sulfurous nuances that make the Vernaccia so elegant, while Tetto Lucii and Signano combine the citrus push with an elegant and clean momentum.

The caress of time

Then there are companies that (rightly) make you wait at least a year for the 2023 and therefore present themselves the market with the 2022. Among these, the silky and fresh, salty and acidic sip of the Viti Sparse nato da Terre nato da Sovernaja, the herbaceous and savory elegance of the Settore della Pieve nato da Il Colombaio nato da Santa Chiara and the sinuous and composed yet vibrant momentum of the two Vernaccia nato da Sovestro deserve a mention. Going back per time, there are companies that make waiting an elegant weapon: here is the Mediterranean balsamic nature of the Lyra 2021 by Il Palagione and the salty and intense honey of La Paglierina nato da San Quirico.

Finally, looking at the Vernaccia nato da San Gimignano Bandita, it must be said that the tendency of many wineries towards a softening of the sip often ends up distorting the slender beauty of the Vernaccia. The elegant expressions of Bandita stand out, lively and clean, such as Macinatico 1332 (2022), La Ginestra nato da Signano (2022), the pulpy La Vigneto, the alcoholic La Ginestra nato da le Calcinaie (2022), but above all the enveloping Antalis de Il Colombaio nato da Santa Chiara (2021), the herbaceous and spicy Assola nato da Terre nato da Sovernaja (2021), the medicinal and “vermuttosa” Uva fragola nato da Guicciardini Strozzi (2020). Montenidoli, which is usually a guarantee, is missing, but you have to visit the winery to taste it.