This suggestive excursion takes us into the green hills of the Rufina Chianti, a varied territory dotted with fortresses, farms and villas, to discover the ‘Museum of the Vine and Wine’, one of the most important museums on the civilization of the grapevine in Italy.
The excursion into the Rufina region takes approximately four hours, including a visit to a local farm for a light snack and the possibility to taste the local wines.
For at leasr a century there has been some confusion regarding the name of the town of Rufina, which is the same as that of the wine.
THE CHIANTI RUFINA AND POMINO WINE ROUTE
Dotted with towers, castles and medieval parishes, the Chianti Rufina production area begins on the outskirts of Florence in the beautiful countryside where the typical Tuscan hills stretch out towards the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines.
It is the particular condition of the soil and the weather conditions in this area which give this red wine a special elegance, a strong body and personality and an extraordinary maturing capacity.
In this area, in 1997, the Italian Wine Route association was established, in accordance with a law stating it as an ‘instrument of development of an entire territory’. There are a number of structures which are members of this association including restaurants, wine bars, artisan laboratories and wine-producers. As well as the Chianti Rufina, the route also includes a second wine : the Pomino one of the smallest and most prestigious D.O.C. Italian wines.
This route helps us to appreciate better the Chianti region, offering us the chance to discover the many artistic and naturalistic beauties, the local craftsmanship and the typical local cuisine of the five towns in the area: Pontassieve, Pelago, Rufina, Londa and Dicomano.
Museo del vino – Rufina A reference point for the Consortium and the Wine Route is the Villa Poggio Reale, a Michelangelo-style building situated in the centre of Rufina. Here, amongst other things, is the Vine and Wine Museum, one of the most important museums on the civilization of wine and the Chianti Rufina and Pomino Wine Bar, a rare example of a wine bar run by an association.
In the villa, there are also numerous cultural and tourist initiatives orientated towards promoting the Chianti region and increasing interest in the area around the world.