he production zone of Vernaccia di San Gimignano is restricted to the hilly territory of the commune of the same name in Siena province. The history of the community goes back to the Etruscan period and, since the beginning, agriculture has always played an important role in the local economy.Vernaccia di San Gimignano, made from the grape of the same name, is one of the best-known wines in Italy and the world. Many hypotheses have been advanced to explain the origin of the word Vernaccia. Some experts have argued that the name is derived from the Latin word vernaculus, meaning a place or locale. Others say it is derived from the name of a Ligurian town in the area of the Cinque Terre, Vernazza. In support of the second explanation, numerous experts say that the variety originated in Liguria and was successively introduced into Tuscany at San Gimignano.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano was highly appreciated in the past and among its many admirers was Pope Martin IV (1281-1285). It appears that the pontiff was extremely fond of a dish based on eels and Vernaccia. In 1487, Ludovico il Moro of Milan ordered 200 fiaschi of the wine on the occasion of the marriage of Isabella, daughter of King Alfonso II of Naples, to his nephew Gian Galeazzo.
One of the leading experts on wines in the period of the Renaissance, Sante Lancerio, rendered an extremely favorable judgment on the qualities of the wine. Lancerio, historian of Italian wine and cellarmaster to Pope Paul III Farnese, expressed regret that the town of San Gimignano was not cultivating Vernaccia as devotedly as it was the arts and sciences.
The long list of significant tributes was crowned in 1966, when the Vernaccia di San Gimignano was accorded the privilege of being the first Italian wine to receive a Denominazione di Origine Controllata, that was then upgraded to Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita in 1993.
