Description
The San Gimignano PDO is reserved for the following types of wine: Red, Rosé, Vinsanto or Vin Santo, and Vinsanto Occhio di Pernice or Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice. The Designation also incorporates numerous grape variety specifications.
Production Area
The production area of San Gimignano PDO is within the entire territory of the municipality of San Gimignano in the Province of Siena, in the Tuscany region.
Description of product typologies
San Gimignano PDO Rosso is ruby red with purplish hues, tending towards garnet red with ageing; the nose is rich with floral sensations and fruity traces of ripe cherry, with faint balsamic notes; it is well-structured on the palate, offering flavours which evolve into liquorice and chocolate, with fine tannins. It can display Riserva on the label if the wine has been aged for at least 24 months, of which a minimum of 6 must be in wooden kegs. San Gimignano PDO Rosato varies from soft pink to onion skin-pink; the nose offers fruity sensations; it is harmonious on the palate, displaying moderate acidity. San Gimignano PDO Vinsanto or Vin Santo is bright golden yellow; the nose reveals a characteristic and intense bouquet, with distinct notes of pastries and honey; the palate is pleasantly velvety, smooth and rounded, with an extremely persistent finish. San Gimignano PDO Vinsanto Occhio di Pernice or Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice varies from pale to intense pink; the nose is delicate and warm, with crisp notes of dried fruit and nuances of pastries; it is rounded, velvety and pleasantly harmonious on the palate, with an extremely persistent finish. San Gimignano PDO Vinsanto or Vin Santo and San Gimignano PDO Vinsanto Occhio di Pernice or Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice wines must be produced with carefully selected grapes that have been dried in suitable environments; the use of forced or direct ventilation is permitted, with the exclusion of drying systems. The grapes for these types of wines can be mashed between December 1st of the harvest year and March 31st of the following year. Fermentation and the following production processes must take place in wooden barrels with a maximum capacity of 250 litres. Red San Gimignano Protected Designation of Origin wines, including those with a grape variety specification, cannot be released for consumption before April 1st of the year following that in which the grapes were produced; red Riserva wines can be released for consumption from January 1st of the third year following that of the grape harvest, and in any event not before the wine has been matured in the bottle for at least three months. Rosé San Gimignano PDO wines can be released for consumption from January 1st of the year following that of the harvest, while San Gimignano PDO Vinsanto or Vin Santo and San Gimignano PDO Vinsanto Occhio di Pernice or Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice wines can be released for consumption from November 1st of the third year following that in which the grapes were produced.
Grape variety specifications
The San Gimignano PDO may display the following grape variety specifications. From red grape varieties (incl. Riserva): min. 85% Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Nero, pure or with the addition of similarly-coloured unaromatic grapes originating from other grape varieties suitable for cultivation in the concerned area, max. 15%. The characteristics of the colour, fragrances and flavour of each specification are those typical of the grape variety and terroir of origin.
Additional specifications
The San Gimignano PDO designation can be followed by the specification Vigna (Vineyard) with the relative toponym.
