The origin of Vernaccia di San Gimignano

: February 28 2024

On the tables of the nobles and aristocrats of the second century a white wine could not be missing, a wine that possessed a royalty already inherent in its color.

Red wines as well as dark complexions were well suited to the less wealthy classes, people in contact with the soil and the elements.

In important salons, however, women used to preserve their white skin, an indication of nobility and wine followed this not very healthy habit.

It seems that by the end of the 1200s a straw-colored wine arrived from Vernazza, a charming Ligurian town, which soon changed its name to Vernaccia. The vine spread, as did its production, from Liguria region to Tuscany, but in the following two centuries it also reached the South of the peninsula (with a red version) Calabria region, the Cilento zone but also Northern Italy, and Lombardy in particular. Despite the good qualities of this wine produced everywhere, it is Vernaccia di San Gimignano that characterizes itself and resists fashion, remaining intact over the centuries.

It is in fact at the court of the Medici, grand dukes of Tuscany around 1600 that the blonde nectar receives its definitive consecration as they had already promoted other delights of the territory including other wines such as Chianti. Arriving at the court of the nobles, Vernaccia also became appreciated by Giorgio Vasari who painted it, by Michelangelo Buonarroti who wrote about it and finally the famous Francesco Redi, doctor of the nobles, in his satirical treatise: "Bacchus in Tuscany" praises it in rhyme : “If there is anyone who does not like / Vernaccia / Harvested in Pietrafitta, / forbidden, / cursed, / flee from my presence”.

The Tuscan territory, with its blends and its unique microclimate, was already famous in the courts thanks to the cultivation of the very precious saffron, therefore the discovery of the new vine Vernaccia consecrated the area of San Gimignano as an area of wines of the highest quality level. The scent and bouquet that characterizes this precious blond wine are one of a kind. The fertile region of San Gimignano located right in the very heart of Tuscany is in fact the best in the world for the production of many wines in general and therefore also for Vernaccia di san Gimignano.