While the producers of San Gimignano enjoyed a good vintage last year, global events have shaken their faith.
© Anita/Pixabay | Passions are running high in many Italian wine regions as tariffs start to bite.
US President Donald Trump’s trade war with Europe is leading to small battles everywhere between wine producers and importers who were allies until recently.
I had the privilege last week to attend Regina Ribelle (“rebel queen,”), the annual wine festival in San Gimignano. The region is the only white-wine-dominant part of Tuscany, specializing in the Vernaccia grape.
I can report that American tourists still overwhelm the beautiful walled medieval city every day and nobody seems to blame us for the trade tensions (phew). But a number of producers are not happy with US importers they have worked with for years.
“It’s really a hard moment of history right now. The wine market is struggling for a lot of reasons,” said Sarah Fioroni, whose family owns Fattoria Poggio Alloro. “In this moment that is very hard, the tariffs are really giving us a hard time. Nobody is willing to pay this tax. We have one pallet of wine ready to ship right now. It’s really upsetting for us, a wine importer we have worked with for 15 years. That’s why I’m so upset. I got an email yesterday, ‘We want to make another order, but are you willing to pay the 10 percent (tariff)?’ One of our importers was very aggressive, saying they won’t import if we don’t pay. It’s the way you ask.
“Our price is already low,” Fioroni told Wine-Searcher. “We are not working with such a large margin. We are just farmers. You will not see a Porsche here.”
Like many Tuscan wineries, Poggio Alloro sends a lot of its wines to the United States – 40 percent of its production, until this year.
“You can look for a new market, but it’s not so easy,” Fioroni said. “Plus everybody in San Gimignano is doing the same thing. I would rather keep the wine here and drink it [than cover the tariffs].”
Luca Romano Biliotti, hospitality coordinator for La Casa Rossa, said his winery had been exporting 15 percent of its wines to the US.
“Now it is all stop,” Biliotti said. “It’s really the worst situation. We have begun to work in East Europe and in Asia, to start the exports.”
Elisa Arfaioli, commercial director of Guicciardini Strozzi winery, said her company was one of the first to send Vernaccia to the US in the 1970s. But now, the winery is seeking new importers because the relationships it has had for decades have been damaged by the tariffs.
“Even if we send samples and they are interested in our wines, they are afraid of the tariffs,” Arfaioli told Wine-Searcher.
Many Tuscan wineries ship directly to US customers who order the wines while they visit on vacation. Arfaioli said they are still doing that, but visiting tourists are afraid of the tariffs so they are ordering less.
Some wineries are sanguine. Giovanni Mazzoni, sales manager for Fattoria di Fugnano, said as long as tariffs stay at 10 percent, they will not be a big problem. Fugnano wines are not exported to US stores, but the winery exports a lot direct to US consumers.
“For our size and our price point, from $20 to $50, I think this 10 percent will not affect us too much,” Mazzoni told Wine-Searcher. “If the wine goes from $20 to $22, it will not change much. It more affects the big-volume wines. From $4.99 to $7, there’s a big jump in price.”
I would be remiss if I did not point out that many California grapegrowers want to see tariffs on European wines for exactly that price range, because California wines are having a hard time competing at the sub-$10 level. Though most US media have focused on Champagne and Burgundy in writing stories about tariffs, 60 percent of wines sold in the US are under $10, according to SipSource, and 76 percent are under $13.
With all the US-export-focused wineries in Italy scrambling for new markets, consumers in other countries are benefitting. Vincent Arrhenius, a Swedish wine journalist, told Wine-Searcher that Sweden’s national wine monopoly suddenly has a wider selection of Italian wines at good prices than before.
“Most bad things also have something good come from it,” Arrenhius said. At least if you’re in Sweden.
In 2023, San Gimignano had a nightmare vintage for farmers that ended up being a dream for consumers. The 2024 vintage was different. A very hot year meant quantities are higher but quality was not quite as across-the-board consistent. But there were many good wines.
I want to share this description of Vernaccia di San Gimignano from Poggio Alloro’s Fioroni, both because it’s accurate and because I’d rather she say it than me. Poggio Alloro makes one of my favorite wines from the region and it’s interesting to learn their goal.
“When you taste some other Vernaccias, there is too much influence of other grapes,” Fioroni said. “I like dry wines. I don’t want too much fruity, like tropical fruits or complex bouquet. I want the Vernaccia to taste like our territory, because the Vernaccia doesn’t have that much flavors.”
The wines
Here are my favorite Vernaccias from 2024 as well as one bonus red that is just an incredible value (pre-tariffs).
Casa Lucii Vernaccia di San Gimignano Good length and balance; leads with citrus pith but it’s not fruit-dominated.
Fattoria Poggio Alloro Vernaccia di San Gimignano Slight floral notes on the nose. Good balance in a citrusy wine with good length.
Fattoria Poggio Alloro Il Nicchaio Vernaccia di San Gimignano Interestingly, this single-vineyard version does not have the floral notes of the entry-level wine. What it does offer is stony minerality and a very long finish.
Fornacelle Vernaccia di San Gimignano Decent acidity with citrus pith and some stone fruit; refreshing snap of bitterness on the finish.
Guicciardini Strozzi Titolato Strozzi Vernaccia di San Gimignano Mineral-driven, this is a good wine for Europhiles. It leads with stone and evolves into graphite with just a hint of citrus pith on the finish.
Guicciardini Strozzi Villa Cusona Vernaccia di San Gimignano Very different from the other wine, this is citrus-driven and also has decent acidity and length. This pair of wines demonstrate the Vernaccia grape’s sensitivity to terroir.
Pietraserena Vernaccia di San Gimignano Smells minerally, like wet stones, and that’s a good thing. Also good minerality on the palate.
Pietraserena Vigna del Sole Vernaccia di San Gimignano A little more citrusy, and less minerally, than the version above, but also quite solid. Which one you prefer depends on whether you like fruit or minerality.
Tenuta La Vigna (etichetta verde) Vernaccia di San Gimignano The 2024 vintage wasn’t one for acid freaks, but this wine had the freshest acidity of any I tasted. Taut and citrusy with a violet hint.
Tenuta La Vigna Vernaccia di San Gimignano Not quite as complex as the etichetta verde bottling, but good length and balance.
Bonus red
2023 Fattoria Poggio Alloro Chianti Everybody and their cousin in Tuscany makes entry-level Chianti (NOT Chianti Classico); many wineries simply dump in their worst grapes. There are good Chiantis but I struggle to sift through the chaff to find them. This wine is stellar, in part because Poggio Alloro has two wines of even lower level (basic red in a box) into which their worst grapes go. It’s spicy and dry, with nice red plum fruit and a lipsmacking finish that invites another sip. It’s a dream to find a regular Chianti this good.
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