Winery plans festivities all over Italy - Ruffino Winery's 130th birthday celebration kicked off in Genoa and will continue over the next several weeks with stops in Bologna, Milan, Rome and Florence. The business was founded in Pontassieve in 1870 by cousins Ilario and Leopoldo Ruffino it subsequently passed to the Folonari family in 1913.
A series of events are planned to highlight the extraordinary wines that made Ruffino famous from its celebrated Chianti honoured in Bordeaux at the end of the nineteenth century (and among the first Italian wines to grace American tables) to the legendary Riserva Ducale , favoured wine of Marcello Mastroianni, Sofia Loren and other well-known personalities throughout the ages. There is even a famous letter written by Giuseppe Verdi in which he complains of the lengthy shipping time for his beloved wine.
During the course of the celebratory tour, Ruffino plans to offer tastings of some of its treasured products, including the 1983 Riserva Ducale and the 1997 'Greppone Mazzi' Brunello di Montalcino, as well as previews of new Sangiovese wines. The winery consists of eight estates (seven in Tuscany and one in Friuli) made up of 600 hectares, which have collectively produced over 15 million bottles of wine.
One of Ruffino's strong points is the fact that all of their Chianti estates are situated within Tuscan DOCG areas.
Three of the vineyards are in the Chianti Classico Gallo Nero, one in the Nobile di Montepulciano, another in Montalcino. The vineyard in the Sienese Chianti hills produces white wines, while the Florentine winery located in the Chianti hills is dedicated to Super Tuscans and experimental varietals. The estate in Friuli is located in the Collio region.
