How the Fontanafredda brand was born

The story of the Mirafiore di Fontanafredda estates begins with the story of a great love. King Vittorio Emanuele was in love with Rosa Vercellana, despite being already married. When his wife died, Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, wanted to find him another wife worthy of a king. Rosa, known as the beautiful Rosina, was not good because she was a commoner. But the king made her noble, naming her countess of Mirafiore and Fontanafredda, and then married her. The estate was inherited from the king's eldest son, Emanuele Alberto, who founded the Casa Emanuele winery in Mirafiore. The company grew quickly, but when its founder died, things began to go badly, also due to the spread of the phylloxera that destroyed most of the vineyards. After a brief resumption, in which the winery took the name of Fontanafredda, the war came and again the business had to stop. The rebirth of the cellars took place in 2008, and today Fontanafredda produces Barolo with grapes harvested exclusively in the vineyards owned by King Vittorio Emanuele.