Vernaccia

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a wine I didn't remember ever seeing before -- Vernaccia di San Gimignano -- at my local Whole Foods. They had a bottle open for tasting. I liked what I tasted, and got a bottle since it was only about $11. J. and I opened it last Saturday with some pasta and salmon I made.

Vernaccia is the varietal, and though I had not heard of it before, it is apparently one of the most important white grapes of Tuscany, grown, as the name indicates, near the town of San Gimignano, and controlled by DOC laws. The wine was quite good -- enormous, flowery, fruity, sweet, almost candyish on the nose, easily the equal of the most extroverted New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc -- but surprisingly balanced on the palate. Medium body, good acid in true Italian tradition, very pleasant. It held its own against the rich pasta sauce, but would not have been overwhelming on its own. I must find some more soon.