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Fontanafredda vineyards are located at different altitudes between 656 ft and 1.312 ft above the sea, on hills with mostly regular slopes and rounded ridges. They can be found in the municipalities of Serralunga d’Alba, Diano d’Alba, Barolo and Murisengo (Langhe area): a total of 134 acres, mostly cultivated with the traditional Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, and Moscato grapes.

Fontanafredda has a noble past: registered as the private property of Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, it was given to Rosa Vercellana in 1858, known as “la Bela Rusin”: the commoner with whom the king had fallen madly in love. The following year, he awarded her the title of Countess of Mirafiore and Fontanafredda.

The commercial activity of the estate began only twenty years later, in 1878, thanks to the passion and foresight of Emanuele Guerrieri Count of Mirafiore, the son of the king and “Bela Rusin”, who dedicated himself to the production of wine with an outstanding modern approach.

The vineyards

The soils, mainly calcareous, have different textures even at a mere distance of a few dozen yards: they can be looser, with sand contents close to 50%, or more compact, with a greater quantity of silt and, above all, clay. The temperatures over the year are those of a typical continental climate, with abundant rainfall in the spring and autumn; remarkable variability confers the extraordinary diversity to each individual harvest.

The cellars

Majestic XIX century wine cellars, with high brick vaults, house oak barrels and steel vats, which welcome the refinement of noble red wines; more rooms have been recently built for state-of-the-art equipment essential to enhance the wines, and exceptionally improve the white and sparkling varieties.

The estate