Vernaccia di San Gimignano, V. di Oristano

The favourite wine of Pope Paul III comes from around the splendid Etruscan town of San Gimignano in Tuscany. It is made with San Gimignano grapes, which came originally from Greece, producing a golden-yellow wine with a deep and fine bouquet. It is a very dry, almost bitter, wine but its fresh balanced taste makes it ideal as an aperitif, or with antipasto and fish dishes. Another Vernaccia is no less popular. It is made with the eponymous grape in the province of Cagliari, in Sardinia. It has an amber yellow colour, a delicate bouquet and a slight aftertaste of bitter almonds. This wine is ideal as an aperitif. There is also a Liquoroso (liqueur) version which is used as a dessert wine.