Oscar Farinetti, owner of Fontanafredda

Fontanafredda is located in the heart of Langhe, an area blessed for centuries with a vocation for the production of great wines, particularly rich, powerful reds. The Fontanafredda estate is located on the former hunting preserve of the first king of Italy Vittorio Emanuele II and his mistress Rosa Vercellana. Their firstborn son Count Emanuele Alberto di Mirafiore had great passion for winemaking and agriculture and made the decision to turn the land into vineyards, thus founding the "Mirafiori Vini Italiani" in 1878.

The fame and the notoriety of the winery grew rapidly and the Count Emanuele was recognized as one of the important promoters of Barolo in the world. His approach proved to be thoroughly modern, leading to the immediate implementation of innovative criteria, focused on producing wines of quality, in particular Barolo.

Fontanafredda's estate stretches out over more than 100 hectares (250 acres). The estate vineyards are located in the villages of Serralunga d'Alba, Diano d'Alba and Barolo. 70 hectares planted with the Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto and Moscato varieties.

At each vintage, grapes are consigned to Fontanafredda by nearly 400 growers in the Langhe and Roero, whose loyalty to the company have endured for generations. The viticulture is carried exclusively on hillsides with vineyards which have an average altitude between 200 and 400 metres. Mainly calcareous, the soil can differ within the space of just a few dozen metres: at times loose, with a sand content, at others firmer, with a higher proportion of silt, and above-all clay. The climate is typically continental, with wide seasonal variations in the temperatures, while the rainfall - concentrated over the spring and autumn months - is highly variable, which is what produces such extraordinarily different vintages.

"The traditional Fontanafredda estate is an important benchmark for Italian wines worldwide. Recently, the entrepreneurial skills of Oscar Farinetti and his team have contributed to restoring this famous winery to its former splendour. All the wines show a distinctive, very precise style, which foregrounds the features of the terroir and the individual grape varieties. The range of products covers all the major local designations and production figures are impressively high. This beautiful winery is in a very attractive location and definitely deserves a visit."