A few years ago, we stumbled across a delicious Chianti Rufina by Dreolino in the unassuming and excellent Trattoria Tre Soldi in Florence. The following morning we were driving north-east out of Florence to the pretty town of Rufina and knocking on Sabrina Tanini’s door. (Tanini? Dreolino? Dreolino was her grandfather, Gino Tanini’s nickname).
Sabrina’s wines are no-nonsense, toothsome – breezy strawberries/raspberries and yet savoury, with weight and texture. It was a welcome relief after too much over-hyped, over-priced, over-harsh Chianti Classico.
We were drawn to the white-label Chianti (also available in the Fiasco straw-covered bottles), the blue label Chianti Rufina and the red-label Chianti Rufina Riserva: a wine of elegance and poise.
Having agonised long and hard over whether or not to buy the Chianti ‘Normale’ in the old straw-covered flasks, we finally opted for the newer label and bottles. Feel free to lobby us for the flasks for next time. After all, you may need new candle-holders for your 1960s retro interior, right?
UPDATE MARCH 2020 – We finally cracked and brought some in on our latest shipment. Hope you have some candles!
