Fontanafredda

Origins\nFontanafredda's name means "cold fountain." Its history began with a love story: King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy fell in love with Duchess Rosa Mirafiore, the daughter of a soldier, when he first saw her at the age of fourteen. His love for her lasted many years, and after the death of his first wife he made Rosa Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda and married her. Because Rosa's children had no claim to the throne, they had to secure their own future. Among the king's gifts to Rosa was the Serralunga d'Alba hunting reserve.\n\n### Founding\nAfter Rosa's death, the reserve passed to her son, Duke Emanuele Alberto di Mirafiori. Since the reserve alone could not support him, in 1878 he founded a winery, becoming, as the estate puts it, "a king of a different kind—the king of Italian wine."\n\n### Ownership changes\nIn 1931, Fontanafredda became the property of Monte dei Paschi di Siena, one of Italy's oldest banks. It is now co-owned by Oscar Farinetti, an Italian businessman and founder of the Slow Food movement.

The estate is located in Piedmont, with vineyards spread across the communes of Barolo, Serralunga d'Alba and Diano d'Alba.

Some of the grapes used come from the estate's own vineyards, while the rest are supplied by farmers who own small vineyards and hold long-term contracts with Fontanafredda.

Fontanafredda is one of the largest wine producers in the region, making more than 4 million bottles of sparkling wine and 2.5 million bottles of still wine. Grapes come partly from the estate's own vineyards and partly from contracted farmers with small vineyards. This combination allows the winery to offer a broad range of Piedmont wines.