Fontanafredda Barolo DOCG

Fontanafredda

As of this year, Fontanafredda is officially recognized as a historic brand. In 2019, the Italian government established the so-called Register of “Historic Brands of National Interest.” Companies that have used their brand continuously for at least 50 years may apply for inclusion in this register. This protects the ownership of historic Italian companies and their values. It promotes “Made in Italy” as well as innovation, sustainability, and international competitiveness. Fontanafredda has been pursuing these goals since 1858, when King Vittorio Emanuele II purchased the Fontanafredda estate for his mistress and later wife, Rosa Veracellana—known as “Bela Rosin”—and their children. Around 1870, his son, Count Emanuele, founded the winery and began marketing wines under the Casa E. di Mirafiore label. But Fontanafredda was more than just a winery: Emanuele had workers’ housing and a school built. The Mirafiore family’s winemaking history came to a sad end with the sale of the estate to a bank during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Today, the winery once again belongs to true Piedmontese: Messrs. Baffigo and Farinetti—in keeping with the spirit of a historic brand. Exceptional and in a league of their own: With the Fuori-Classe, the focus is not on the terroir but on the grape varieties and the winemaking process, allowing the wines to confidently showcase the character of the grapes. All wines (except the Moncucco) are aged in wood. This classic Piedmontese aging method is an indispensable characteristic of the wines. One should take time to savor the exceptional Fuori-Classe wines in peace and quiet; then they offer an extraordinary experience.