We continue our voyage of discovery in the Mugello, departing always from the Villa Campestri Olive Oil Resort. In this column we’ll write of Chianti Rufina, a well-known D.O.C.G wine that’s made in Rufina, a community not far from the Villa. We’ve already spoken about the special pinot noir wine of another nearby vineyard, Rio Cerrini. In another direction, just as close, is the smallest subzone of Chianti wine country, Rufina.Rufina, a small wine area with a population of just under 12,500, that includes the communities of Dicomano – with its noble church of San Godenzo – Londa, Rufina and Pelago. Pontessieve, further south, is also a part of this Chianti region in the eastern hills above Florence. The zone lies just below Vicchio, and its Villa Campestri Olive Oil Resort, a welcoming inn completely immersed in its natural surroundings.

Rufina was already declared a part of Chianti in the first Decree of 1932 that drew carefully the boundaries of this prestigious wine country. Two valued wines that are constantly improving, the Rufina Chianti D.O.C.G. and Rufina Pomino D.O.C., are located in this small subzone of the Chianti wine area. Together with the Chianti subzone of Montespertoli, the two Rufina wines are considered among the most interesting Chianti wines. It’s for this reason that the area now has a Strada del Vino – one of the routes throughout Tuscany that take us through interesting wine regions – to follow to find the good wines of the region. The Rufina wine has special characteristics of its own. The color is a lively red that tends to become more garnet-like as it ages. Its perfume is noticeable, sometimes with an intense violet-like aroma that intensifies as the wine ages. It is a dry and harmonious wine, at first with slightly tannic feel that gets refined within a year after harvest to a softer, more velvety taste.

To taste the Rufina Chianti and Rufina Pomino D.O.C. we suggest to visit Selvapiana winery (our photogallery shows this wonderful place and products)

The Villa Campestri overlooks the valley of the Mugello to the hills of Chianti Rufina, and sits only twelve kilometers from the beginning of the Strada del Vini Chianti Rufina and Pomino. For our guests we organize splendid tasting itineraries that take us to the most renowned old winemakers of the area, including the historic Castello di Nipozzano of the Frescobaldi family who have been producers of fine Chianti wines since before the Renaissance. There’s an interesting document in the family recounting how Michelangelo actually exchanged art for Frescobaldi wine. As collectors of fine art, the family probably has some of those Michelangelo works still hanging in one of their many elegant homes.

Following a guided visit through the Castello’s wine cellars, Villa Campestri Olive Oil Resort guests are invited to a delicious light lunch accompanied by a tasting of three of the fine Rufina and Pomino wines as well as the fine olive oils produced on the property.