Crifo: sixty-year history of Cantina di Ruvo di Puglia, in the heart of Castel del Monte
20 July 2020
Founded in 1960 by a small group of winemakers, the Cantina di Ruvo di Puglia celebrates its sixtieth anniversary this year. Just like on the first day, in the name of the Griffin: a mythological creature that ancient builders carved on the facade of the cathedral of Ruvo di Puglia. A symbol that marks all Crifo wines, the finest labels produced by the winery, starting with the Grifone line.
From a simple must producer, the cooperative has evolved into an award-winning winery, fully assuming the role of one of the major entities in southern Italy, with its approximately 600 hectares of vineyards.
In the limestone territory of the Castel del Monte area, between the provinces of Bari and Barletta-Andria-Trani, it vinifies 60 percent of the 5 native varieties of the area and the remaining part other varietal species.
More than 500 members are part of it, contributing over 10,000 tons of grapes per harvest, paying great attention to the care of the “leader” vine: Nero di Troia.
The other main wines are Bombino Bianco, Bombino Nero, Pampanuto, and Moscatello Selvatico. The brand “Crifo” represents the acronym of the original name “Cantina della Riforma Fondiaria”. Today, it produces almost 3,000,000 bottles a year in 0.75-liter format. But it wasn’t always like this, and one could say that this is a relatively recent market choice, as in the early days the winery was dedicated to producing large formats up to 5 liters.
An important evolution stemming from the mission to bring quality to a production that, like in all of Puglia, in the distant past, was dedicated to quantity.
The success of the Cantina di Ruvo di Puglia lies in the passion, dedication, and tenacity of the members in embracing a single project and in mitigating and mediating between the different needs of hundreds of fellow winemakers.
All of this is supported by highly ambitious professional choices, such as establishing solid and lasting relationships with industry consultants. One of them is the oenologist Massimo Tripaldi, an institution in his field, who in recent years has been able to amplify the production potential by surrounding himself with a dedicated staff.
And a significant commitment in the commercial area, and the intuition to give the dissemination of wine culture, the foundation of the brand, the right importance.
The sixtieth anniversary was celebrated by the Cantina di Ruvo di Puglia with an unforgettable national TV campaign last May, presenting the Crifo brand in the flagship programs of RAI1’s schedule, through the airing of a commercial at the opening and closing of several highly-followed shows such as: “Uno Mattina in Famiglia”, “Domenica In”, the Rai fiction “Vivi e lascia vivere”, “Linea Verde”.
The purpose of the advertising campaign: promoting a Puglian excellence, along with associating the Crifo brand with wine from Nero di Troia grapes.
In short, the icing on the cake to celebrate the great work done in synergy between members, collaborators, and consultants, rightly highlighting the quality of Crifo wines.
A quality further documented by the respect from industry operators and the numerous awards received from critics and international guides in recent years.
In fact, there are many titles awarded to Crifo wines, produced by the Cantina di Ruvo di Puglia, in equally numerous contexts: Luca Maroni, Mundial du rosè, Wine Spectator, Sakura, Chine wine & spirits award, Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide, 5StarsWines, Oscar Douja D’Or, Tastings Chicago, Concorso Enologico Regionale Vinum, Mostra Nazionale Vini Pramaggiore, Concorso Gilbert Gaillard, Trofeo A.I.S. Murgia “Dolce Puglia”.
The Cantina di Ruvo di Puglia is also part of the Puglian wine tourism routes of Le Strade del Vino, because part of the members’ attention towards a highly diverse audience of connoisseurs and simple enthusiasts is dedicated to hospitality, promoting visits to the winery and tastings by appointment.
Purchasing is possible through GDO and HoReCa distribution channels as well as in the official stores “la Vineria della Cantina” (located both in Ruvo di Puglia and Bari) and also through the online shop.
