INTERNATIONAL June 2012 SPECIAL Editor Lorenzo Ruggeri EDITION TRE [email protected] SIENA BICCHIERI ADV Director Franco Dammicco monthly news for wine professionals [email protected] ® Dealer Poster Pubblicità [email protected] Gambero Rosso Holding spa Via Enrico Fermi 161 00146 Rome (Italy) San Gimignano is one of Italy’s picture-perfect cities. Although we are deep in a region ruled by famous reds, Vernaccia di San Gimignano is an ancient white wine in search of eternal youth. It comes from a beautiful and varied territory The Vernaccia Mosaic century, Sante Lancerio, who was Pope Paul are exploring a new reading of the wine while III’s cellarmaster, described Vernaccia as “a still respecting the ancient variety and its perfect drink for the elite”, and lamented that territory. The desire to look around and by Antonio Boco there wasn’t enough produced. ahead has involved the entire district. San Gimignano’s white had always had Clearly, Vernaccia di San Gimignano has a The Vernaccia name refers only to whites illustrious admirers. “And not far away, there storied past, setting it apart from the other from the San Gimignano comune, a was a stream of Vernaccia wine, the finest famed Tuscan appellations, an island of white storybook zone dominated by the town’s that was ever drunk, without a single drop in an ocean of red wines. By 1276, documents remaining 14 towers (down from 72 in of water in it” was how the fantastic land of reveal, a tax was levied on the wine’s medieval times). The marine soil, from the Bengodi was described in Boccaccio’s exportation outside the San Gimignano Pliocene era, is a clay-sand mixture, and Decameron in the 14th century. Medieval municipality. But the wine’s reputation faded varies widely in its composition even within poet Dante mentions Vernaccia di San until after World War II. In 1966 it was the zone, laying down a complex map still Gimignano, and no other wine, in the Divine declared a DOC (denominazione d’origine being fully explored. Comedy. When he describes finding Pope controllata), and in 1993, a DOCG The Pancole area, in the northwest of the Martin IV in Purgatory being punished for (denominazione d’origine controllata e appellation zone and facing Certaldo, is his sins of gluttony, it is especially the garantita), but despite this recognition of influenced by cool winds from the north, but pontiff ’s excessive love of food and drink, quality and individuality, Vernaccia has had also by a dryish climate. The soil is largely such as eels from Lake Bolsena and wine a hard time finding its place on the Italian yellow, fairly compact, fine-grained sand such as Vernaccia from San Gimignano that playing field. Although its character and (called tufo here) and large oyster shells often he must pay for in the afterlife. (Purgatory, personality are undeniable, it was often seen turn up. The percentage of clay is higher than Canto XXIV). Michelangelo Buonarroti as a tourist souvenir, rather than a serious average. Rich and full-bodied wines, often describes the wine as one that “kisses, licks, appellation. with distinct mineral bites, stings, pricks”. And in the mid-16th In recent years, though, some winemakers aromas of flintstone, are CONTINUES many of its vineyards in this strip of land. patchwork of zones and subzones, plots of THE VERNACCIA Moving northeast, the circle closes with San land and vineyards, each capable of making MOSAIC Benedetto and its clayey soil, rich in water its mark on the wine thanks to the grape even during the driest years, and therefore itself, vernaccia, which is exceptionally typical. Among the growers in this zone are capable of producing quite fresh wines. sensitive to the influence of different soils the Cesani family, who came from Le We notice La Mormoraia, Il Lebbio, and microclimates. Marche in the 1950s. Over time, they have Rubicini and San Benedetto, up to At its best, it produces long-lived bottles defined a precise style that respects the Fontaleoni; ascending to Santa Maria we with a stony, briny profile that provides tasty territory’s nature and enhances it with the reach Ulignano; further along, on the road mouthfuls and pleasant drinking. These use of barriques, such as we find in their to Poggibonsi, we find Cusona, another wines need to be interpreted in their own Sanice. The Tenuta San Quirico, belonging time-tested winery in a breathtaking terms. Contemporary versions must look to to Andrea Vecchione, is considered a landscape. the past to find the path to a style defender of the purest original characteristics As mentioned above, this is a colorful that is unique. of Vernaccia, partly thanks to its very old vines and, in some cases, its use of large oak barrels. Two other wineries are Vagnoni and Where to sleep Casa alle Vacche, the latter at the edge of the Agriturismo denomination, where its qualities mix with Poggio Alloro those of San Benedetto. Via Sant’Andrea, 23 Moving westward, we come to Poggio del tel. 0577 950 153 Comune. Here the vineyards grow on slopes www.fattoriapoggioalloro.com that are almost 400 meters above sea level. double room: 90-100 euros The grapes ripen slowly and gradually, due (breakfast included) also to classic terrain that has a large element of skeletal soil. Wines here are energetic and Hotel San Paolo elegant, long-lived and substantial. The two San Gimignano tel. 0577 955100 chief representatives of this zone, Panizzi and Fax: +39 0577 955113 Montenidoli, are chief players in the wine’s www.villasanpaolo.com recent history. double room: 160-280 euros Continuing our descent towards the valley, (breakfast included) we come to Santa Lucia and Montauto, an area next to the previous one described, that Casolare extends in the direction of Castel San di Bucciano Gimignano at least to Ranza. We’re in the Piazza S. Agostino, 17 south-southwest, where sand and large tel. 0577940189 oysters diminish in favor of small shells and www.casolaredibucciano.com double room: 102 euros where the wines lose some power and gain (breakfast included) in elegance. Some of the fastest-growing wineries are in this zone. La Lastra, for La Mormoraia example, founded in 1994 by Renato Spanu Loc. Sant’ Andrea and Nadia Betti, is going stronger than ever, 0577 940096 and turns out some wine of unmatched www.mormoraia.it expressive beauty and capacity to age. Le double room: 100-120 euros Calcinaie, belonging to Simone Santini, is (breakfast included) another up-and-coming winery, as is La Castellaccia, on the other slope of the valley Where to eat and the other bank of the Botroni river, its Ristorante vineyards facing north-west and surrounded Il Pino by woods. Others here include Canneta and Via S. Matteo, 102 the vineyards of Signano. tel. 0577940415 Right between the zones of Santa Lucia and www.ristoranteilpino.it Poggio del Comune is a strip of land that cost: 40 euros Where to eat and sleep embodies the different characters of the two (without wine) (Il Palagetto is located here) before sloping San Gimignano, one of Tuscany’s foremost Osteria attractions, is visited by tens of thousands of tourists, down towards San Donato in the vicinity of del Carcere Santa Lucia, towards Castel San Gimignano. all year round. Most come by bus and stay only a few Via del Castello hours, but the crowds nevertheless put enormous The area of Pietrafitta brings us east, tel. 0577941905 pressure on the tiny town’s restaurants and hotels. extending along the sides of the old road that cost: 25 euros To find the best places to eat and sleep, knowledgeable went from San Gimignano to Poggibonsi. (without wine) travelers go outside the city walls and into the This is certainly one of the most classic zones countryside, often looking for an agriturismo run by of the appellation, with a greater clay Ristorante a wine estate. Poggio Alloro is one of these. Aside component than Santa Lucia. Almost all Bel Soggiorno from wonderful accommodations, this agriturismo growers here seem to aim at top-quality via San Giovanni, 91 has excellent local foods, starting with meat that they production methods. tel. 0577940375 raise themselves. Casolare di Bucciano (Signano) and The Pietrafitta winery itself is on this slope, www.hotelbelsoggiorno.it La Mormoraia also have appealing rooms. Among cost: 40 euros while Cappella Sant’Andrea and Falchini the hotels, Villa San Paolo stands out. (It has its own (without wine) spa, as well.) Il Pino, Bel Soggiorno and Osteria del are at the edge of the ridge that faces San Carcere are the best, Gimignano itself. The renowned Teruzzi e most relaxing places to eat. Puthod winery has its headquarters and The Consorzio and Production RegulationsEstablished in 1972 at the behest of a small group of local producers, the Consorzio della Vernaccia di San Gimignano is a more important institution than ever for the wine it represents. Over the years, a great deal has been achieved, including the key victory of obtaining DOCG status in 1993. This was a great step for Vernaccia, making it the first Italian wine to reach the highest level of recognition and protection in the country’s hierarchy of legislation concerning the wine sector. The regulations are rigid, aimed at protecting the consumer. They dictate first of all that the area of production of Vernaccia grapes must be exclusively within the territory of the comune of San Gimignano. In terms of the grapes themselves, the wines must be made from at least 85% Vernaccia di San Gimignano grapes and exclude the use of any other aromatic, white-berry varieties.