When Luigi Rubino established Tenute Rubino in 1999, the idea of producing 1.2 million bottles of wine using estate-grown indigenous grapes annually seemed light-years away. However, fast-forward 20 years and that is exactly what he is doing, along with his wife and business partner Romina Leopardi and their winemaker Luca Petrelli. Rubino’s father, Tomasso, started buying land to grow grapes in the 1980s, but at the tail end of the 20thcentury Luigi decided to take the family business one step further and make wine bearing their name.

Having outgrown their original production facility, Tenute Rubino is poised to move all operations to a brand new 64,000 square foot winery that will accommodate all winemaking needs in addition to a hospitality and tourism center. With an eye to the future, Rubino is also planning to transform the stone ruin of a farmhouse on his seafront Jaddico estate into a restaurant and visitor center. The winery also operates a stylish wine bar and wine shop, Numero Primo, on the pedestrian-only promenade in the seaside town of Brindisi.