Piedmont

Founded in 1881, still run by the same family in the heart of Alba — the cellar sits on Roman-era foundations right under the town's historic center.

A family estate spanning the Langhe since the 1930s, known for single-vineyard Barolo and Barbaresco crus and 'The Berry' — a glass-walled tasting pavilion overlooking the vines.

A growers' cooperative founded in 1958, pooling fruit from Barbaresco's best crus. Walk-in tastings welcome — no appointment needed, unlike almost every other cellar in the Langhe.

A family estate in Canale, at the heart of Roero — three generations turning what was once bulk wine into some of the region's benchmark Arneis and Roero DOCG reds, from sustainable, largely organic vineyards.

The cellars where Barolo was born: in the early 1800s Marchesa Giulia Falletti turned the local Nebbiolo into a dry, age-worthy wine that soon reached the royal court. The Abbona family has run the historic cellars, opposite the castle in the village of Barolo, since 1929. Open every day, with tastings and a restaurant — the easiest 'big name' to visit in the Langhe.

Born in 1858 from a love story: Vittorio Emanuele II, first King of Italy, bought this estate for Rosa Vercellana, the commoner he later married. Today it is the largest single vineyard estate in the Langhe, certified organic, with a whole 'narrating village' of cellars, restaurant, hotel and shop in Serralunga. Guided tours daily in five languages.

Perched at the top of Castiglione Falletto with a terrace over the Barolo hills. Vietti bottled one of the first single-vineyard Barolos in 1961 and, in 1967, rescued the white Arneis grape from near-extinction — every Roero Arneis you drink owes it something. Artist-designed labels since 1974. Shop open daily; tastings by reservation.

A family winery in the hamlet of Vergne, about two miles above Barolo, farming Bricco delle Viole — the highest vineyard in the Barolo commune, which gives lifted, floral wines. Aldo Vajra took over at fifteen, in 1968, and is now one of the most respected names in the Langhe. Look for the stained-glass windows in the cellar. Open seven days by reservation.

Founded in 1956 in Calamandrana, in the heart of Barbera country south of Asti. Barbera is the friendly everyday red of Piedmont — juicy, low in tannin, high in acidity — and Nizza is its top appellation. Don't miss Art Park La Court, an open-air museum of sculptures among the vines with free entry and picnic backpacks to book. Shop open daily, tastings by reservation.

An 18th-century farmhouse on top of the Ravera hill in Novello, at 380 metres — higher than most famous Barolo crus, so the grapes ripen up to ten days later and keep their freshness. Elvio Cogno was among the first to label Barolo by vineyard in the 1960s; his daughter Nadia and son-in-law Valter Fissore also revived Nascetta, Novello's nearly extinct native white.

In 1965 Renato Ratti came home from Brazil, bought vines below the abbey of Annunziata in La Morra and did something nobody had done: he mapped and ranked the Barolo vineyards, cru by cru. That map is the ancestor of today's official vineyard names. His son Pietro runs a strikingly modern winery with a small Barolo museum in the old abbey; shop open seven days.

The winery that changed Barbera's destiny. In 1982 Giacomo Bologna aged the humble local grape in small French barrels and released Bricco dell'Uccellone — the first Barbera taken seriously worldwide. His children Raffaella and Giuseppe run the historic cellar in Rocchetta Tanaro, east of Asti, with tours Tuesday to Saturday and a wine resort nearby.