Ruffino 140th anniversary Ottawa dinner features vintages spanning 40 years.

It isn’t too often that I use the term “once in a lifetime.” This time it’s not in reference to the well-known song by the Talking Heads, but is instead totally wine-centric with the historic Ruffino house from Tuscany, Italy. Ruffino and Tuscany combine to showcase one of the real heartlands of quality wine production in the world, with a focus on the Sangiovese grape in its incarnation as Chianti Classico and beyond.

The occasion is unique: one night only in our nation’s capital, Ottawa, on Thursday October 26, 2017. The venue is long-established Italian fine dining restaurant Mezzanotte, in the heart of the ByWard Market, in partnership with LCBO Vintages fine wine division. This night will be worth the drive, even if you are not in the area, as Beppe D’Andrea, Global Brand Ambassador for Ruffino, animates the evening. Everyone who’s met Beppe instantly shares his passion, as a Tuscan native and more than 20-year veteran at Ruffino, including a role as winemaker and member of the Slow Food movement in the region (not to mention rugby league!).

Ruffino

What’s more, 2017 celebrates 140 years of Ruffino, as the winery was founded in 1877 by brothers Ilario and Leopoldo Ruffino. For those celebrating a 40th anniversary this year, the Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro 1977 should be a real highlight. This wine, first produced in 1947, is one of the iconic wines of the region, and was recently tasted and rated 94 points by Falstaff magazine (Austria). Here’s the tasting note by Ulrich Sautter to help set your standard for the evening:

“Bright red with amber- to orange-tinted reflections. Some malt, ripe coffee pods, redcurrant, almost a little animal note, but also clearly iron mineral. Juicy and elegant on the palate, delicate with an inner firmness. Great length despite its rather lighter style, seamlessly integrated acidity, mineral-delicate flow, animates to drink immediately. The fine nervy acidity frames everything and underlines the elegance, and superb finesse. Now probably drinking at its peak. 94 points” (Tasted Sept 2016)

The rest of the evening rounds out a full-on five decades tasting with wines from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s – unprecedented and sourced directly from the winery’s library cellars. And don’t forget that attendees get first-in-line ordering access to very limited quantities of older vintage and larger format wines. In the end, this Ruffino anniversary dinner will be an event so unique, that even if we wanted to, it would be impossible to recreate. Come and enjoy!

Please follow this link to the Vintages website to purchase tickets to the Ruffino event.

Complete dinner wine list:

  • RUFFINO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA DUCALE 2009
  • RUFFINO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA DUCALE 2011
  • RUFFINO RISERVA DUCALE ORO CHIANTI CLASSICO 1977
  • RUFFINO RISERVA DUCALE ORO CHIANTI CLASSICO 1986
  • RUFFINO RISERVA DUCALE ORO CHIANTI CLASSICO 1996
  • RUFFINO DUCALE ORO GRAN SELEZIONE RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2012
  • RUFFINO MODUS 2007
  • RUFFINO MODUS 2014
  • RUFFINO SERELLE VIN SANTO DEL CHIANTI 2011

Ruffino is represented by Arterra Wines Canada, a Good Food Fighter. Please support the businesses and organizations that support Good Food Revolution.