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Vernaccia San Gimignano Riserva "Santa Rita"
Vernaccia di San Gimignano is one of the few whites of italy that is allowed to be bottled as Riserva. This is a name ruled in the law of production (Disciplinare).
Vernaccia di San Gimignano was the first Italian wine that obtained the DOC (Denomination of Origin Controlled) in 1966. Vernaccia di San Gimignano wine is produced only in the municipality of San Gimignano, where the alluvial soil is able to imprint in a unique way this wine. The soil characterizes so strongly the grapes and the wine that also the vineyards position in relation to the city of San Gimignano is recognizable in the wine.
The DOCG (Denomination of Origin Controlled and Granted) was obtained in 1993 as a result of the quality reached after decades of continuous improving of all the producers.Origin Controlled) in 1966, showing how much was important this wine that historically has been already mentioned during the 13th century. Some of the greatest poets of the Italian Literature as Dante Alighieri and Boccaccio mention Vernaccia di San Gimignano in their poems: during the centuries Kings and Popes have been appreciated this wine that arrived in the 20th century as the most important white wine in a region of Italy famous for his great reds.
Grapes are picked up manually in the second half of September, and brought quickly in the cellar to be softly pressed, the must is fined then follows a slow fermentation at low temperature.Campochiarenti Vernaccia di San Gimignano is produced from vines 30-35 years old, with different clones that perfectly fit the soil of the vineyards. The age of the vines allows to obtain grapes concentrated and with high typicalness.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano is classified as Riserva after almost one year of aging. Rules says: "it must be aged for 11 months, starting from January the 1st after the harvest. before selling it must be aged 3 months in bottle." This a unique wine that is able to astonish anyone who is so lucky to taste it.
