The name Ruffino evokes associations. No wonder, given this history and countless successes. Since 1877, the wines from the "ideal winery" have shaped the international image of Italian winemaking. Now a remarkable new chapter has been opened and the story continues.
"We are at a decisive moment for Ruffino," says Sandro Sartor, President and CEO of the legendary wine brand, which is on the way to becoming a beacon for sustainable and groundbreaking innovations as well as uncompromising quality. It sounds ambitious, but behind his words there are defined goals and no coincidence. A new, fresh wind is blowing, which is reflected both visually and in terms of content in a clear marketing strategy. How does this manifest itself? Impressive. In Bolgheri, for example, a new state-of-the-art winery is currently being built, including a visitor center; the name is still secret at the time of going to press. 15 hectares of land (DOC-Bolgheri) have been acquired and the first vintage, 2023, is already stored in the cellar. But it still needs time; it is due to be launched in 2026, says oenologist Olga Fusari. The result will be a Bolgheri Superiore, a Bolgheri Rosso and a white Bolgheri. As the former chief oenologist at Ornellaia and an intimate connoisseur of the region, she is now responsible for all Ruffino wines from Bolgheri and the Supertuscans launched in 1997.
Another point is Ruffino's concentrated oenological expertise, which has been restructured. Since June 2023, the viticultural umbrella strategy will no longer be decided by individual oenologists on site, but by an international "Winemaking Council" consisting of internal and external oenologists and agronomists such as Alberto Antonini, Maurizio Bogoni, Stefano Poni, Stephanie Edge and Larry Stone. Together with those responsible in the individual wineries, this should make it possible to achieve a significant increase in quality with regard to international markets. On site are Alberto Stella, who is responsible for the wines from the Chianti Classico DOCG, Ritta Orrù, who is responsible for the so-called historic wines from Ruffino, and Olga Fusari, who is responsible for the new Bolgheri wines and those from Tenuta Poggio Casciano (Modus, Modus Primo and Alauda IGT Toscana). A strong and broadly based team that will bring many different perspectives to the future of Ruffino wines and one slowly but clearly notices that Sandro Sartor is not highlighting the "decisive moment" for Ruffino for nothing.
Of course, it's about the quality of the wines, but also about the makers, the know-how and - central to everything Ruffino does - the quality of the soil and the environment. The owners (Constellation Brands since 2011) have a great desire for innovation and this is clearly evident in all of the company's ESG standards, not just in words. The consistent ecological orientation of the company's own wineries is a clearly set goal. By this year's harvest, all land is to be farmed organically and the supply chain is also to be sustainable by 2025. The company wants to reuse 100 percent of its water by 2030, and complete CO2 neutrality by 2035 is a done deal. Ruffino has actually always been a pioneering company, because in the year it was founded in 1877, it was not common to produce wine in a commercial sense. Either they made it for themselves because they valued it as a cultural asset (the noble families) or they needed it to survive (as a source of calories) (poor families). Cousins Ilario and Leopoldo Ruffino saw things differently. Their wines were intended for commercial use and their clear goal was to build the "ideal winery" with wines that would shine beyond the borders of Tuscany and even Italy.
In 1895, news hit like a comet that Ruffino wines had been awarded a gold medal in Bordeaux for their outstanding work in the vineyard and cellar. The wines, which were aged for a year in large chestnut barrels, were called "Stravecchio". The famous composer Giuseppe Verdi was one of Ruffino's regular customers, as was the royal family of Savoy, who from 1890 onwards purchased the entire production of these outstanding wines from the house's then "sommelier", the Duke of Aosta. A royal certificate attests to the act, and so this wine could only be served at the royal tables of the Italian royal court until 1927. It was only 37 years after the Duke's visit that the owners received the license to freely sell the wine, whereby the reference "Riserva Ducale" had to be clearly marked. An unmistakable story.
In 1944, however, the winery was mistaken for the nearby train station and almost completely destroyed by the Allies in an attack. As a sign of resurrection, Ruffino launched its selection of the Auslese under the name "Riserva Ducale Oro" in the top vintage of 1947. The "Riserva Ducale" and the "Riserva Ducale Oro" have long since become timeless classics of Chianti winemaking and yes: in the Gran Selezione category, which represents the top of the Gallo Nero quality pyramid, i.e. in Chianti Classico, every third bottle consumed worldwide is a "Riserva Ducale Oro". The current addition of "Gran Selezione" means, in short, that the wines must mature for at least 30 months and that the grapes used for them may only come from the best, own vineyards. Ruffino has been applying the quality award (Gran Selezione) since the 2010 vintage.
Over the decades, Ruffino became one of the most important ambassadors of Chianti Classico thanks to constant innovation and drive. This is also evident in the 1950s, when Ruffino was the brand of the time and was naturally a must on the tables of Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni and other representatives of Cinecittà. Even though the 1970s were very challenging for Italian winemaking, the Fonolari family, who owned and managed the winery since 1913, always managed to believe in quality and to control it at all stages of production and to prove it with ever new ideas. This is how the award-winning Super Tuscans called "Modus", "Modus Primo" and "Alauda" were created.
This is still the case today and Ruffino wines are sold in almost 90 countries. "This means that Ruffino is a globally known brand with a range of wines that meets the diverse needs and desires of wine lovers who expect different characteristics and nuances from each of our products. Our image must therefore succeed in communicating this diversity without missing the values of our wines," explains Sandro Sartor, and so it is definitely no coincidence that the contemporary traditional brand Ruffino was prominently featured as a partner at this year's Milano Design Week on Piazza Sempione. Ruffino is not only at home in classic Italy, but also in creative Italy.