Vernaccia di San Gimignano, the White Queen of Tuscany • Food and Wine Italy

Unique, noble, rebellious: this is how the White Queen is quanto a a land of reds. The first Italian wine to obtain the DOC quanto a 1966 – which later became DOCG quanto a 1993 – and the only one to be mentioned quanto a the Divine Comedy (more precisely quanto a Gorgheggio XXIV of Purgatorio), Vernaccia San Gimignano is produced with white grapes grown exclusively quanto a territory of one of the most beautiful municipalities quanto a Tuscany, whose historic center is a UNESCO world heritage site. The Consortium, established quanto a 1972, brings together 79 associated companies of the approximately 170 present quanto a the and is committed to promoting and enhancing the identity of this native vine and its great aging potential. Per 2022, production exceeded 4 million 600 thousand bottles and the current year is recording a +10%: a sign of important growth and greater public interest, as also demonstrated by the two thousand tastings quanto a the squares of the “city of beautiful towers” ​​acceso the occasion of the first edition of Regina Turbolento – Vernaccia San Gimignano Wine Fest.

Organized last June, the two-day event allowed tourists and wine lovers to discover over 100 labels, including tasting tables and masterclasses at the Roccaforte Montestaffoli, where quanto a 2017 the Consortium inaugurated the Vernaccia San Gimignano Wine Experience La Roccaforte. Here, every day of the year from 12pm to 7pm, it is possible to book one of the three guided tastings: the Easy Wine Tasting, the Superior Wine Tasting and the Masterclass, a two-hour lesson with six local wines to learn how to get to know the different expressions of Vernaccia but also the San Gimignano Doc red wine and a San Gimignano Doc Vin Sacro, paired with local gastronomic excellences, from Pecorino flavored with San Gimignano DOP saffron to Finocchiona Igp, from DOP Tuscan ham to almond cantuccini .