Vernaccia is the white wine grown and produced near the Italian hill town of San Gimignano in Tuscany. Wine has been being produced in the area for hundreds of years, perhaps even as early as the Etruscans. Since the Renaissance it has been considered one of Italy's finest white wines. It was the first Italian wine to be awarded DOC status in 1966; on 9 July 1993 this was upgraded to DOCG.