The Tasting Panel magazine

December 2017

Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/912565

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 89 of 120

december 2017  /  the tasting panel  /  85 W hile many Tuscan wine producers may be content sticking to their region's tra- ditional categories, Ruffino is not one to rest on its laurels. The iconic Italian wine producer—which celebrates its 140th anniversary this year—is probably best known for its legendary Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico, which was first imported to the U.S. in the 1920s. Today, Ruffino is the leading Chianti brand in the U.S., with a 21 percent share of the category. Ruffino, which owns a handful of properties in Tuscany and also makes wine in Italy's northeast areas of Friuli and the Veneto, is constantly working to push the envelope when it comes to product development. Much of this philosophy has to do with the winery's uncanny ability to identify and capital- ize on trends in the marketplace. This past fall in New York City at Emily's, a rustic Italian restaurant in the West Village specializing in wood-fired pizzas, Ruffino's Senior Global Brand Ambassador Beppe d'Andrea hosted a get-together to show off some of the company's newest products. The lineup of wines included the latest release (the 2014) of Ruffino's popular Super Tuscan wine Modus (SRP $25), which was first vinified in 1997. Modus is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot grown at Ruffino's Poggio Casciano and Santedame estates; it's been significantly re-tooled for this new vintage with an increase of the Cabernet and Merlot components and a pullback on the oak aging of the Sangiovese. "Each component is also now vinified separately before the final blend is created," said d'Andrea. "The result of these changes is a wine that's even more balanced, with more finesse as well." Also poured was Ruffino's new Il Ducale 2016 Pinot Grigio Friuli DOC (SRP $18). The Il Ducale is the result of Ruffino's quest to produce a high- quality wine from Friuli's best produc- tion areas for the grape: Collio and Grave. "Quality Pinot Grigio is trending again, and the Il Ducale fits right into that lifestyle—or what we call qualità di vita," d'Andrea said. Lastly, Ruffino presented its new Sparkling Rosé (SRP $15), a follow-up to the wildly successful 2011 launch of Ruffino Prosecco DOC. A non-vintage, the Sparkling Rosé is a blend of Glera (the main grape for production of Prosecco) and Pinot Noir, and is vinified Extra Dry using the Charmat method. "We actually can't legally call it Prosecco, even though it is made to the same standards and with a major- ity of Prosecco's main grape variety, as current DOC regulations stipulate that Prosecco can only be a white wine," d'Andrea explained. While they're still technically experimental, similar products are increasingly being produced by other wineries. "We are hopeful that eventually the government will change the regulations to include a rosé category for Prosecco production," d'Andrea added. As the event wound down, d'Andrea—who started with the com- pany in 1987 as a winemaker before hitting the road to promote Ruffino's extensive portfolio—said this about Ruffino's 140-year legacy of innova- tion: "At Ruffino we have always said, 'Innovation today must be tradition tomorrow.' These wines are the product of that philosophy." Ruffino wines are imported by Constellation Brands. Ruffino's lineup includes Prosecco DOC, Sparkling Rosé, Pinot Grigio, and Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico. Ruffino Senior Global Brand Ambassador Beppe d'Andrea at Emily's in New York City with a bottle of Modus.

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Tasting Panel magazine - December 2017