An Audience with the Queen of Tuscan White Grapes

If Sangiovese is the Red King of Tuscan grapes, Vernaccia di San Gimignano is the White Queen. This past May 15-16, we were invited attend an exclusive “audience” with this queen to become more acquainted with this Tuscan varietal.

The event was the Regina Ribelle Vernaccia di San Gimignano Wine Fest organized by the Consorzio del Vino Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The two days leading up to the public event were dedicated to wine writers, giving them many opportunities to taste selections of Vernaccia di San Gimignano, from new releases of Annata and Riserva to much older vintages. Activities included master classes, technical tastings, a pizza party and an exceptional gala dinner. The Consorzio truly turned this into a royal affair and rolled out the white carpet for the global group of journalists who attended.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano is the first Italian wine to bear the Denominazione di Orgine Controllata (DOC). It became a DOC in 1966 and in 1992 was upgraded to Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). While Tuscany produces other white varietals, notably Vermentino and Trebbiano Toscana, Vernaccia di San Gimignano remains the only white DOCG. Its name is deeply tied to its sense of place. The town of San Gimignano and the winemaking in the vineyards surrounding it date to the 13th century. You can feel this history as you wonder the narrow streets of San Gimignano and gaze up its soaring medieval bell towers, built by the patrician families who lived there.

2025 celebrated the third edition of the Regina Rebelle Wine Fest which also served as its Anteprime to showcase vintages before their market release. While we have attended other Vernaccia di San Gimignano Anteprime, this one was enhanced with thoughtful wine and food events and visits to meet producers at their wineries – always helpful for crafting stories about wine regions.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano produces crisp high acid wines with notes of pineapple, green apple and pear. They are best consumed when young. There are some well-made aged Vernaccia as well, albeit with varied consistency based on vintage. We tasted new releases of both Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2024 and Vernaccia di San Gimignano Riserva 2023. According to the Consorzio’s, both the 2023 and 2034 harvest were “difficult” due to extreme weather conditions, notably very hot summers (both), and heavy rainfall close to harvest (2024) and heavy spring rainfall (2023). Yields were lower; grapes were well ripened and concentrated.

Regina Ribelle also introduced technical tastings for both San Gimignano DOC red and rosé wines. Prior Anteprime only focused on the DOCG whites. According to Irina Strozzi, President of the Consorzio del Vino Vernaccia di San Gimignano, this welcomed expansion to the technical tasting program was intended to spotlight the diversity of wines produced in the San Gimignano area. Strozzi is the family owner of Guicciardini Strozzi wines.

Still, the White Queen made sure that her regal presence commanded most of the attention. Our last evening in San Gimignano featured a Gala Dinner held outside in the Piazza del Duomo with a menu created by Michelin Two Star Chef Gaetano Trovato and his team from Arnolfo Ristorante . Sommeliers poured selections from a long menu of Vernaccia di San Gimignano wines. Local The Consorzio unveiled a stunning statue created by Tuscan artist, Andrea Roggi, to commemorate Regina Ribelle.

Details matter in wine, food and hospitality. The evening was cool and breezy. The Consorzio had thoughtfully arranged cozy white fleece blankets for guests. The blankets had the Consorzio’s logo in regal gold. The blankets came in handy on our cold plane ride back to the United States.

We understand that 2026 will mark the 750th anniversary of Vernaccia di San Gimignano and the 60th anniversary as Italy’s first DOC wine. We can’t wait to find out what the Consorzio has up its sleeve for this big celebration. If it is anything like the 2025 Regina Ribelle, it promises to be fabulous.

And we hope we are invited back!