{"id":16628,"date":"2013-10-21T16:02:43","date_gmt":"2013-10-21T20:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/?p=16628"},"modified":"2013-10-21T16:58:38","modified_gmt":"2013-10-21T20:58:38","slug":"ruffino-wines-tasting-italy-in-a-glass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/ruffino-wines-tasting-italy-in-a-glass\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruffino Wines: Tasting Italy in a Glass"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ruffino<\/a>Our third winemaker dinner team tasting on October 18 featured the wines of the Italian winery Ruffino<\/strong><\/a>. Our team did an excellent job of summarizing the wines, food pairings and overall experience of the evening. A second Ruffino wine dinner<\/strong><\/a> was held the following night at a different restaurant. You can see all of the Ruffino wine reviews<\/strong><\/a>, showing stock at your local liquor store.<\/p>\n

\u201cGraffiti’s Italian Restaurant in Kanata was the perfect location for a Ruffino tasting dinner with Brand Ambassador Robert Ghezzo. Though dimly lit and boisterous at times, we were nonetheless transported to the Tuscan countryside as one big Italian family enjoying a meal and sipping delicious wines. It was a bonus to have Robert at our table so\"Heather<\/a> we were able to chat \"WP_20131018_009\"<\/a>with him one-on-one between his group presentations.<\/p>\n

The evening started off with a short Ruffino and Tuscany history lesson. Ruffino was founded in 1877 by two cousins who wanted to produce quality rather than quantity Chianti. That original Chianti is still in production today though the blending has obviously varied over time.<\/p>\n

In 1913, the Folinari brothers purchased Ruffino, but kept the established name. In 2004, Constellation Brands added Ruffino to its portfolio of wines. Ruffino owns 2800 acres of land, with 1400 acres planted with grapes. The other 1400 acres are planted with olive trees. An interesting bit of trivia: one olive tree produces just one litre of olive oil.<\/p>\n

Ruffino Prosecco<\/strong><\/a>, with its larger bubbles, greeted us and gave us a hint of the lovely evening ahead. My fingers crossed that it will make its way into the Canadian market soon. Robert navigated us through each wine selection paired with scrumptious dishes crafted by chef Neil Mather.<\/p>\n

Two pairings stood out for me. The first was Ruffino Reserve Ducale Chianti Classico<\/strong><\/a> with Squash and Roasted Red Pepper Purees with Chive Foam. It was a gutsy pairing. The red pepper puree picked up the pepper and spice in this fuller bodied Chianti.<\/p>\n

The second was Ruffino Modus 2010 with the Braised Veal Shank with Saffron Risotto and Grilled Zucchini. The 2010 was a tricky growing season in Tuscany, with a cool, wet spring and very hot dry summer resulting in an elegant and mellow fruit Modus. Make no mistake though this is still full-bodied, inky and brooding. I sensed this pairing was a hit with many people in the room.<\/p>\n

The evening was capped off with Moscato D’Asti. At just 6% alcohol, its light and bubbly and fragrant. It paired beautifully with our strawberry dessert, but would be equally grand on its own. Robert suggested serving it in chilled glasses. All-in-all, an exceptional evening of wine.\u201d \u2013 Heather Wall<\/strong><\/p>\n