We’ve made it to July, the half way point of the year, where our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group is featuring Tuscany hosted this month by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. I have some great wine Tuscan appellations lined up this month, starting with Chianti Rufina today. Many visitors flock to the Chianti Classico zone of Tuscany when visiting this region, but located just about 12 miles northeast of Florence is another one of Chianti’s gems, Chianti Rufina.
The region – Chianti Rufina
Chianti Rufina is located on the Apennine Mountains’ foothills between the Sieve River. It is one of the 7 sub-appellations of the Chianti DOCG and the smallest of the group, but the one with the higher quality. Evidence dates that wine has been made there since the early 15th century. In 1716 the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo III, named the wines of Chianti Rufina among the best 4 in Tuscany. In 1931 the territory was defined and subdivided. It was upgraded to a DOC in 1967 and later into a DOCG in 1984.
Due to its proximity to the mountains this area is cooler than the Chianti Classico region and has great diurnal swings between day and night temperatures. The area’s soils are primarily made of limestone, clay, and alberese. Most of the slopes face south to southwest and reach up to 400-500 meters above sea level (up to 1,600 feet)!
There are 5 communes within Chianti Rufina: Dicomano, Rufina, Pontassieve, Pelago, and Londa.
This Article was originally published on Vino Travels Italy
