Grape Variety: Vernaccia

Colour: White

Vernaccia is a white Italian wine, made from the Vernaccia grape, produced in and around the Italian hill town of San Gimignano in Tuscany. Since the Renaissance it has been considered one of Italy’s finest white wines. It was the first Italian wine to be awarded Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) status in 1966; on July 9th, 1993 it was upgraded to Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG).

The earliest recorded mention of the wine appear in the archives of record of San Gimignano from 1276. Due to the difficulties in cultivating the Vernaccia grape, the wine fell out of favour in the early 20th century as the more prolific Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes were planted. By the 1960s, Vernaccia di San Gimignano experienced a resurgence as its distinctive, crisp qualities established itself as a popular alternative to the more bland wines produced from Trebbiano and Malvasia blends

Vernaccia is mentioned by Dante Alighieri (Purgatorio XXIV) as leading to Pope Martin IV’s gluttony. He ate Bolsena eels pickled in the wine.

ebbe la Santa Chiesa in le sue braccia:
dal Torso fu, e purga per digiuno
l’anguille di Bolsena e la vernaccia.

Matthia Barzahi’s Vernaccias are filled with his passion and care that he takes in managing the terroir of his vineyards and farm. Impronta is harvested by hand in small cagettes. Refrigeration for 12-18 hours at controlled temperature then gently pressed.The alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature of 16-18 °C. The wine is aged on its own lees with frequent batonnage for five to six months.

This is Vernaccia that you want with seafood: salty, creamy, nutty, tangy with that typical dry restraint. It has the crunch of iceberg lettuce and is as cool as the other side of your pillow.