Rùfina
East of Florence, near the Apennines, you find the smallest of the Chianti sub-regions, Rùfina. This was the region that for centuries provided the majority of the wines to Florence, being just 10 miles from the city.
It is, perhaps, one of the most important and well-regarded of the seven Chianti sub-zones. It is also a tiny region with just 26 producers.
As we look from near the Arno River up at the Duomo, we can see the hills to the North. Off to the east ————> is where Rùfina and the Apennine Mountains would be.
This month the writers with #ItalianFWT are discussing Anything and Everything Tuscan, led by Wendy Klik of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Since I had recently done this wonderful tasting with I Veroni, through StudioCru, this seemed like a perfect occassion to pair these wines, and dig into their details. You will find links my colleagues articles at the end of this post.
These wines were received as media samples. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.
The “Carro Matto”
Each year at the end of September, this cart of Chianti is pulled into Florence from Rùfina. Stacked high with “fiascos” (those straw-covered bottles) of Chianti, the term translates to “crazy cart,” which is quite descriptive!
The cart, pulled by 2 white oxen, has 9 layers of bottles (over 2000 bottles) woven with straw into a pyramid. This was the traditional way of bringing the new wine into the city, a tradition that continues ceremonially today.
I Veroni
While they don’t send their wine to Florence on the Carro Matto, and their bottles are no longer wrapped in fiascos, Chianti Rùfina from I Veroni continues the tradition of being the wine of the Florentines. When we spoke with I Veroni, they were very proud that they sell over 20,000 bottles annually in the city. They want to be famous 1st in Florence, then in the rest of the world.
We tasted two of their wines in an online tasting with Lorenzo Mariani, who owns the estate. It was handed down by his great-grandfather, who purchased it in 1897. We were joined by Luca Innocenti, a childhood friend of Lorenzo’s who handles the winery’s sales and marketing.
Before we dipped into our glasses, we spoke a bit about how climate change affects them.
Climate Change in the Chianti Region
Harvest each year is 1, 2, or 5 days earlier than the previous year. Lorenzo notes that in 2022 harvest finished on September 29th. When he was a child, it would end in mid-October. These are changes seen over the past 20 years.
Moving forward, they must adjust how they make wine. They will plant on the north and east-facing slopes as they put in new vineyards. No longer will they grow on the southwest slopes that have been covered in vines for the last 100 years. It is just too hot! This would make for wines with too much power and heavy tannins. Sugars at harvest continue to get higher, pushing alcohol levels higher. Each year they risk over-maturation.
Currently, they try one new thing each year to combat these changes. They have pushed back pruning by 1 month, which delays bud break, and that is helping.
The microclimate of Rùfina and I Veroni
Rùfina has a microclimate influenced by 2 rivers and valleys. The Arno to the west, the Sieve to the east. They are quite happy with their 20 hectares of vineyards which sit on a hilltop, and while the summer temperatures are very hot, they have fresh winds from the Apennines. This adds tannins to their wines, and the diurnal shift with cooler nights helps protect the acidity of the wine.
Overall, I Veroni has 70 hectares of land. In addition to the vineyards, they have 20 hectares of olive orchards from which they make Organic Olive oil.
Both of the wines that we tasted are single vineyard wines, and both are organic.
I Veroni Chianti Rùfina “Vigneto I Domi” DOCG 2021
I Domi is the most important wine for their company. This wine comes from the I Domi vineyard near Podere Pianottolo. Lorenzo’s grandfather began making this wine in 1947. Like his mother before him, Lorenzo tries to stay with the same blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Colorino and Canaiolo, with the makeup of that 10% varying depending on the vintage.
This is a traditional wine, spending 1 year in large format 10-25 Hectoliter Slovenian oak. This oak helps to balance the wine without adding strong wood notes.
My notes:
As I dipped my nose in the glass, I found tart cherry, orange peel, black tea, and a bit of floral. There were underlying notes of nutmeg, pepper, and just a hint of cocoa. There were notes of barnyard that were not unappealing on the wine that blew off as it opened up.
Of course, this is a food wine, dry with great acidity and subtle tannins. You will note below that the alcohol is relatively high, but the wine is integrated and doesn’t come off as hot.
Production 20-25,000 bottles annually – SRP $14.99 – abv 14.5%
The 2nd wine was the Quona, their Flagship wine for the Chianti Rùfina Terraelectae Project.
The Terraelectae Project
Before we go into this wine, let’s dive into this project. The Chianti Rùfina Consorzio created this new tier of wine a few years ago; the first vintage was in 2018. Lorenzo says they began with just 9 of the 25 producers in the DOC that first year. Here are the basic specifications from the Consozio…
“on joining this collective production entity, each producer identifies his “iconic vineyard,” that exceptional parcel within his estate vineyards in which Sangiovese expresses its classic characteristics in the most eloquent manner possible, to the highest degree, and in the most consistent fashion, year after year. Those grapes are vinified as a Chianti Rùfina Riserva, in full respect of the Production Code, and the resultant wine is then granted the distinctive Terraelectae mark.”
https://www.chiantirufina.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/TERRAELECTAE-THE-PROJECT.pdf
I Veroni Chianti Rùfina Riserva “Vigneto Quona” DOCG 2020
The Quona is named for the Pieve, a small rural church near the vineyard. This church, called San Martino a Quona, can be seen from their vineyard. Luca told us that an archeologist discovered a castle’s remains in the forest over 1000 years old a month ago. It will be interesting to hear about the developments with this discovery. (Watch for this in archeological sites near Pontassieve, the historic city nearby.)
This wine is their Riserva, and they were making this single vineyard wine before the Terraelectrae Project. While most producers created a new wine for the project, they knew this was the wine they would put forth as it was the maximum expression of Chianti Rùfina from the I Veroni Vineyards.
This wine is 100% Sangiovese. It is of 3 clones (R23,R24, & R6) on 2 different rootstocks (420A and 1103P.) It spends 25 days fermenting on the skins and 18 months in 5 HL French Oak Barriques, 50% new. Then spends an additional 12 months in bottle prior to release.
Those French oak barriques explain why this wine is twice the price of the I Domi. (These barrels run over 1400 Euros each and can only be used for 4 years)
Notes:
The Quona had a velvety nose of black cherry and finely powdered cocoa. It opened to include cedar, black plum, eucalyptus, anise, espresso, and spice notes. It was complex, but the cocoa notes kept me dipping my nose back in the glass. When we tasted it with Lorenzo and Luca, it was mentioned that the integrated tannins and the texture were a signature of this wine. The texture is divine.
Production 20-25,000 bottles annually – SRP $30 – abv 15%
Pairings for the Chianti Rùfinas of I Veroni
Luca had suggested meat ragu and aged Pecorino to pair with these wines. I went with a Tuscan Sugo with Pappardelli and made some Tuscan white bean crostini with blistered grape tomatoes to go with it.
The pairings were spectacular, and sipping these wines, you would expect their price tags to be much higher.
Crostini with white bean and rosemary spread and roasted grape tomatoes
While I knew I would do a pasta dish, I wanted something smaller for us to munch on, so I created a white bean spread for crostini and topped it with roasted grape tomatoes. These were bright and delicious and started the meal off right. (Recipe Below! Watch for the video on IG and Pinterest!)
Pappardelle with Tuscan style sugo
The inspiration I found suggested by Divina Cucina suggested cooking on a higher-than-expected heat, caramelizing (almost burning) the soffrito, and searing the sausage and meat. This, she says, develops the flavors of your Nonna’s ragu.
I didn’t have a Nonna. My grandmother was Hungarian, and we ate Chicken Paprikas, but I thought I had the idea. This made such a difference in the richness of the sugo. Remember, Sugo or Ragu are not sauces, they are not soupy or liquidy, but they will beautifully coat your pasta. To my sugo, I added not just sausage & beef but also pancetta and some additional spices (cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, and ginger), as well as lemon zest and Pecorino right at the end. You can also incorporate porcini mushrooms if you can find them (I, sadly, could not.)
This was exceptional and well worth the hour or so I spent at the stove and was glorious with both of the wines. (Recipe Below! Watch for the video on IG and Pinterest!)
More on Tuscany from the Italian Food Wine & Travel Writers! (#ItalianFWT)
- Cam from Culinary Cam shares Polpo in Galera (Jailed Octopus) + La Lastra Vernaccia 2021
- Jennifer of VinoTravels shares A hop, skip and a jump out of Florence to Chianti Rufina with I Veroni
- Gwendolyn Lawrence Alley of Wine Predator shares Paradise in Tuscany: Organic Farming at Antonella Manulli’s Fattoria La Maliosa
- Our host Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm shares A casual bottle of Cetamura Chianti on the deck and the Weekly Menu
References and Resources
Crostini with white bean and rosemary spread and roasted grape tomatoes
These simple crostini have the richness of Tuscan white beans, brightened with lemon and topped with roasted grape tomatoes and rosemary.
This is a perfect appetizer. Think of it as Tuscan hummus!
This is a lighter pairing for a Chianti Rufina!
Ingredients
- 3 cloves of garlic (2 minced, 1 cut in half)
- 1/4 cup olive oil +
- 2- 15 oz cans of Tuscan (Cannellini) white beans
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary minced
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 baguette
- 6 oz of fresh grape or cherry tomatoes
- flat-leaf parsley
- salt for seasoning
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a small pot over medium heat.
- Add the 2 cloves minced garlic, cook for 1 minute, and put in a measuring cup to cool.
- Rinse the beans, and process with lemon juice and rosemary in a food processor for 5-10 seconds.
- Add the garlic oil slowly with the processor moving until it is smooth (another 5-10 seconds).
- Season to taste.
- Heat the oven to broil.
- Slice the baguette, brush both sides of each slice with olive oil, and lay them on an aluminum foil-lined sheet pan.
- Toast 1 min per side.
- Remove the slices from the oven and place on a plate to cool.
- Toss the cherry tomatoes with olive oil, fresh rosemary, and salt.
- Spread them on the same foil-lined tray.
- Broil for 1-2 minutes, until many of the tomatoes pop and some get a bit browned.
- Rub 1 side of each slice of bread with the whole clove of garlic, spread with the bean mixture, top with 2-3 of the roasted tomatoes, and garnish with parsley and fresh rosemary.
Pappardelle with Tuscan style sugo
Rich & meaty, this sugo with pork sausage, ground beef, and pancetta has it's flavored deepened with spices and brightened with lemon zest. Added to Pappardelle pasta with a shaving of Pecorino cheese, it is Magnifico!
It is so satisfying and the perfect match for a Chianti from Rufina.
Ingredients
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk finely chopped
- Olive oil
- 1 Italian pork sausage link casing removed
- 4 oz of diced pancetta
- ½ lb lean ground meat (80/20)
- 1 – 12 oz can of Italian plum tomatoes
- ½ cup red wine (ideally the Chianti you are serving with this)
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 8 oz of Pappardelle pasta
- 1 cup of freshly grated Pecorino Tuscana (or Romano)
- Chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot.
- Add the soffritto (the finely diced onion, carrot, and celery).
- Cook over relatively high heat until caramelized. (This, I hear, is what makes this recipe taste like your Italian Nonna made it. I didn’t have an Italian Nonna, but it comes out delicious, I promise you!)
- Add finely chopped pancetta and allow it to render down a bit.
- Add sausage and cook it down. (you want to do this on high heat and sear the meat, this adds to the flavor of the sugo)
- Add lean ground meat again. Cook on high.
- Add the wine, and let it cook away for a minute or two
- Add the tomatoes, smash them into the meat mixture, and season with salt.
- Cook for 15 minutes over med heat.
- Add the spices and cook for another 30 minutes over med-low heat. (if it gets too dry, use pasta water to thin it, but keep in mind, this is a ragu, not a sauce! It is meant to be mostly meat bound together with tomatoes.)
- When your sugo is almost done, drop your pasta. Cook according to the package (mine took a little over 10 minutes). If you can find fresh Pappardelle or if you are AMAZING and made your own fresh pasta, it won’t take as long to cook, so adjust your time as needed.
- While that is cooking, add the lemon zest to the sugo and stir
- Drain the pasta, and place it in a large pan.
- Add the sugo to the pasta and mix, adding a little pasta water if needed.
- Add ½ cup finely grated Pecorino and mix.
- Plate and garnish with more Pecorino and chopped parsley.
Notes
You can also add porcini mushrooms to this for extra umami! Rehydrate the mushrooms and drain, then
finely dice them. Add them after the beef and cook for a minute or two before adding the wine.
This sugo can be frozen! (Although, after standing at the stove cooking this, you will really want to eat it right away!)
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 723Total Fat 44gSaturated Fat 16gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 25gCholesterol 145mgSodium 516mgCarbohydrates 41gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 36g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
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