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| Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG |
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This wine has enjoyed a great reputation ever since the Middle Ages, indeed it was even mentioned by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) in Canto VI of his Purgatory, when Martin IV is told "and it purges by fasting the eels of Bolsena and Vernaccia."
But the best description of it comes from Michelangelo Buonarroti, in 1543. In a comment which betrays a certain gastronomic eroticism, he noted the fact that this wine "kisses, licks, bites, feels hot, and stings".
Last but not least comes a quote from Francesco Redi (1626-1697) in his 'Bacco in Toscana', in which he writes "if there is anyone who does not like Vernaccia, harvested at Pietrafitta, may he be damned as an idiot, and be banished from my sight."
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A white wine suitable for all kinds of food, it goes particularly well with Tuscan soups, fish and shell-fish, white meat and mild cheeses.
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The basis of this wine are the grapes of the Vernaccia variety (90%), which can be accompanied by a handful of other, strictly local varieties (max 10%), which wine-makers often turn to in order to make their wine more individual and enhance the main grape variety.
It is pale yellow in colour, with a fine, penetrating and distintive bouquet.
It is dry and harmonious to the palate, with a slightly bitter aftertaste, and has a minimum alcohol content of 11% vol.
After being allowed to age for a year, plus four months in the bottle, it earns the title of Riserva, with a minimum alcohol content of 11.5% vol.
The glass most suited for tasting this wine is fairly wide at the bottom and slightly narrower at the top, allowing the wine to be appreciated to the full.
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As always, the glass should be filled to around the one-third level, for proper oxygenation, so that the full aroma of the wine can be appreciated.
In addition, the Vernaccia of San Gimignano now has its own promotional visitors’ itinerary which links each production area to the next. Beginning in San Gimignano itself, it takes in Libbiano, Pancone S. Andrea, and Bibbiano, as well as Castel S. Gimignano, in the neighboring municipality of Colle di Val d'Elsa.
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"Anyone who does not love wine, women and song will be a madman all his life."
Johann Heinrich Voss, Poet (1751-1826)
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