FONTANAFREDDA

Originally purchased by the first King of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, as a hunting retreat, Fontanafredda is one of the great names of Piedmontese winemaking.

The 250-acre estate sits in the middle of Piedmont's Langhe Hills, the vine-yards planted on these gently undulating slopes responsible for Italy's version of Bordeaux reds, the muscular, brooding, long-lived wines of Barolo and Barbera that are forged from the Nebbiolo grape.

With Robert Parker rating the majority of Fontanafredda's output in the 90-point category, it is no exaggeration to say that this is one of the greatest producers of one of the world's greatest wine styles.

While majestic nineteenth-century cellars host the reds for aging, Fontanafredda also owns shiny new buildings equipped with all the technology necessary to bring out the best in the region's white sparkling wines.