Bodega La Rural

About Bodega La Rural - in their own words:
The winemaking tradition of the Rutini family was born in the beginning of the 19th century when Don Francisco Rutini started making domestic wines for the citizens of his native town, Ascoli Piceno, Le Marche, Italy. His only son, Felipe Rutini, decided to emigrate to the Americas to continue with the winemaking tradition. It was in Coquimbito, Department of Maipu, Mendoza, where he planted the first vines. Towards the end of 1885 he began the construction of a winery, which he named La Rural, with the motto " Labor et Perseverantia." His first and primary concern was always quality. 

Don Felipe continued working with his plantations in Maipu and then expanded his operations to Los Corralitos and to Medrano, enlarging the winery and also importing large vats and Nancy French oak casks. Don Felipe passed away in 1919, leaving his descendents in charge of the company, who took up the development of white and red fine varietals such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. Later on the Chenin grape from the Loire Valley was incorporated. 

Wine Museum San Felipe:
The idea was the brainchild of Don Francisco Rutini, oldest sibling of Don Felipe, who in 1945 wanted to create a museum where the most important elements of Mendoza winemaking history would be housed under one roof. But it was his nephew, Rodolfo Reina Rutini, who made Don Francisco's dream real. 

The museum displays machinery, carriages, presses and other elements that contributed to the Mendoza wine industry. Located inside of Bodega La Rural, in front of Don Felipe's original residence, it has become the most important wine museum in the Americas, on par with many French, Italian and South African museums.

The museum has within it 4500 artifacts. Of special interest are antique crushers, cooperage tools, colonial mud amphorae, books and enological catalogs, laboratory equipment and some fifty carriages. These pieces were found for the most part in Bodega La Rural warehouse and within the Maipu area.

Current Technology:
Today, the winery has a stainless steel tank capacity of ten million liters and possesses state of the art equipment to ferment and preserve its fine red and white wines.

Ten years ago La Rural started a process of technological renovation and remodeling of its facilities. In that period the capacity of the winery doubled, it acquired stainless steel tanks of different shapes and sizes, incorporated refrigeration equipment, pneumatic presses, de-stemmers, filters and pumps, all of the latest technology.

Five years ago it began incorporating 225 liter barrels from France. Today it has more than 2000. It also acquired a totally automated bottling line with a capacity of 6,000 bottles per hour. During this process it was necessary to expand the covered and temperature controlled surface of the winery to 6000 m2.
Current Equipment of the Winery: Total capacity: 10,700,000 liters

Argentina

Mendoza Wineries 

Information on Selected Wineries
Bodegas Lopez - Maipu
Bodega La Rural - Maipu
Finca Flichman - Maipu
Familia Zuccardi - Maipu
Bodega Norton - Lujan
Bodega Ruca Malen - Lujan
Bodega Luigi Bosca - Vistalba Valley
Bodega Salentein - Valle de Uco
Bodega Dona Elvira - Valle de Uco

About Mendoza