San Gimignano

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Soils of Pliocene origin (6.8–1.8 million years ago), formed on marine deposits of yellow sands (tufo) and yellow and grey clays.
• The soils feature sand, skeletal material, and argillaceous scisti: a combination that promotes root penetration and the expression of sapidity.
• Vineyards between 70 and 500 m a.s.l. on hillside slopes with variable gradient and aspect.
• Rainfall is concentrated in two seasonal windows: late autumn–early winter and late winter–early spring, with a relative summer minimum.

• Vin Santo: first attested in 1348, when a Franciscan friar used sweet wine to treat plague victims.

• Reds: more or less intense ruby, tending toward garnet with aging; delicate, varietal aromas; dry and harmonious on the palate.
• Vin Santo occhio di pernice: color ranging from pale pink to deep pink through to orange-tinted; soft and velvety on the palate.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A1464
• Official trade body site — Consorzio del Vino Vernaccia di San Gimignano