Vernaccia is one of those wines often best enjoyed in situ, i.e. sitting outdoors at an trattoria underneath one of San Gimignano’s infamous towers and watching the tourists go by as you enjoy your Panzanella. It tends toward lightness and delicacy, and usually doesn’t offer up enough chutzpah to stand up and face the rest of the world’s more assertive white wines.

 

But Vernaccia, innocuous, inoffensive and just-plain ‘meh’ when not overcropped and mass-produced, can, under ideal circumstances and in the right hands—like those of the Logi family—show a ton of character and the richness to make its opinion heard and understood.

 

Il Colombaio’s is definitely in the latter category. So fresh and delicious with notes of citrus peel, chopped tarragon and oyster shell complexing the perfect amount of Asian pear-like fruit, its salty finish might remind you more of a coastal wine rather than one from landlocked San Gimignano.

 

Those looking for a lighter white to serve as the perfect aperitivo, look no further. This is also great with fresh herby salads or the aforementioned Panzanella. Best enjoyed in its youth but I wouldn’t mind finding a few bottles in the cellar in two or three years.