Discover a list of the best wineries to visit in San Gimignano, some offering accommodation and restaurants. These wineries are recommended for the quality of their guided tours and tastings.
- Overview of Vernaccia di San Gimignano
- Best Wineries to Visit in San Gimignano
- Wineries in San Gimignano with Accommodation
- Food and Wine Pairing in Tuscany
BEST WINERIES TO VISIT IN SAN GIMIGNANO – Recommended by Jean Marco Palmier
Which wineries should you visit in San Gimignano for a tasting?
Discover an updated list of the most beautiful wineries to visit in San Gimignano.
Colombaio di Santa Chiara
Colombaio di Santa Chiara is one of the best wineries in San Gimignano. Among the various services offered, visitors can tour the winery and take part in wine tastings. Guests can also stay at the wine resort at La Locanda dei Logi, which has a swimming pool and various amenities.
The company, managed by Giampiero, Stefano, and Alessio Logi, covers 22 hectares of vineyards and offers various tasting packages to explore the richness and variety of its wines.
Panizzi
Panizzi is one of the best wineries in San Gimignano, perfect for those seeking an authentic experience in the production of Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Led by Walter Sovran, the winery stands out for its commitment to organic and sustainable farming. With 60 hectares of vineyards, Panizzi manages its vineyards with great environmental care.
Wine tastings are held at the Fattoria di Larniano, a small medieval village dominated by a Lombard tower dating back to the year 1000. This charming location, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, hosts part of Panizzi’s agricultural activities and includes 30 hectares of vineyards. Visitors can stay in ancient farmhouses or rooms inside the Larniano Tower itself, enjoying an immersive experience in the heart of wine tradition.
Mormoraia
Among the best wineries in San Gimignano, Mormoraia stands out for its breathtaking views of San Gimignano and its elegant wine resort. The facility includes a relais and a restaurant that promotes Tuscan gastronomic tradition.
Guests can stay at the elegant wine resort, which offers a swimming pool, sauna, Turkish bath, and a jacuzzi.
In 1995, the Passoni family opened the agriturismo and the first Mormoraia winery. Since 2012, the son Alessandro has managed the company, reorganizing it with a focus on organic farming. The agriturismo has been transformed into an elegant Bed & Breakfast, with added services such as sauna, Turkish bath, and a restaurant dedicated to Tuscan cuisine.
Cesani
Cesani is a landmark winery in San Gimignano and offers rustic hospitality with stunning panoramic views.
The winery, made famous by Vincenzo Cesani, continues to thrive thanks to the passion and expertise of his daughters, Letizia and Marialuisa.
Cesani offers various wine tasting packages in San Gimignano and hospitality at Agriturismo Cesani, which features traditional Tuscan rustic style. Visitors can stay overnight and enjoy authentic Tuscan hospitality in a beautiful setting.
Tollena
Tollena is a small but virtuous winery in San Gimignano, known for producing Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Chianti, and extra virgin olive oil. The winery includes a rustic Tuscan-style agriturismo with a panoramic swimming pool. Accommodation is offered in a setting that preserves the historic architecture of an 1800s manor, fully renovated.
The estate, hosting the business, spans 66 hectares, of which 16 are vineyards, 6 are olive groves, 27 are arable land, and the rest is woodland. Owner Barbara Bernardi manages this historic winery with passion and dedication.
Cappella di Sant’Andrea
Cappella di Sant’Andrea is one of the wineries to visit in San Gimignano. The winery offers wine tastings accompanied by typical Tuscan dishes.
It is possible to participate in cooking classes on various themes and levels of complexity. Tastings take place in the old stable, now a small museum of rural tradition. The winery has 8 hectares of vineyards and offers an authentic experience of Tuscan wine culture.
Wineries in San Gimignano with Accommodation Options
Here is a list of wineries offering accommodation, including agritourisms, wine resorts, and wine hotels in San Gimignano:
- Mormoraia
- Borgo Tollena
- Colombaio di Santa Chiara (Locanda dei Logi)
- Cesani
- Fattoria di San Donato
- Fattoria Poggio Alloro
- Palagetto
- Il Palagione
- Casa alle Vacche
- Le Fornacelle
Vernaccia di San Gimignano
Before exploring the wineries to visit in San Gimignano, it is worth introducing Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Considered one of the most important Italian and Tuscan white wines, Vernaccia boasts a long documented history dating back to the year 1000 AD.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano is famously mentioned by Dante, Boccaccio, Cecco Angiolieri, and Francesco Redi. It was highly sought after during the Renaissance by the Medici family to grace their finest banquets and weddings.
The Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG experienced a revival in the 1960s, becoming the first Italian wine to be awarded the prestigious DOC status in 1966, followed by DOCG in 1993.
From its inception, the denomination has stood out for its quality, positioning itself among the best in Italy: low yields and great attention to biodiversity. Vernaccia di San Gimignano is historically one of the Italian denominations with the highest number of organic wineries. Let’s discover the best wineries to visit in San Gimignano.
Food Pairing with Vernaccia di San Gimignano
Tuscan Appetizer
What pairs well with Vernaccia di San Gimignano?
Vernaccia di San Gimignano, the quintessential Tuscan white wine, is far from a light, conventional aromatic wine. Its distinctive traits are its remarkable minerality and robust, decisive character.
There are two types: the standard vintage version, simpler and more immediate, and the Riserva, often aged in oak barrels, more complex with extended aging that develops fascinating saline and hydrocarbon aromas.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano is considered one of the most versatile Italian white wines for food pairing. It pairs excellently with seafood and shellfish, but thanks to its gustatory richness and pronounced sapidity, it can also stand up to white meats, cured meats, and cheeses.
Local products to pair with Vernaccia include San Gimignano Saffron PDO, Cinta Senese PDO cured meats such as Finocchiona, Lardo, Prosciutto, Capocollo, and countless fresh and semi-aged cheeses including Pecorino Toscano PDO.
Additionally, Vernaccia di San Gimignano is a key ingredient in some traditional recipes such as the classic Rabbit alla Vernaccia di San Gimignano or Eel alla Vernaccia di San Gimignano.
The latter dish has a curious anecdote in Dante’s Divine Comedy, where Pope Martin IV is placed in Purgatory to atone for his gluttony, as according to the poet, he was accustomed to feasting on eels from the region.
