Cantina Giacomo Conterno was established in 1908 when Roberto’s great-grandfather, Giovanni, opened up a small family-run restaurant in the village of San Giuseppe. He produced a Barolo for the business made from grapes he sourced in the region and sold surplus on. When his father died in 1934, Giacomo Conterno took over both the restaurant and winery, having worked with his father since his return from the war. They were a pioneering partnership, producing, bottling and even exporting, well ahead of the game. Giacomo then passed the reigns to his sons, another Giovanni and Aldo in 1961.

Giovanni, the elder brother, had worked with his father on the 1958 vintage and had been in charge since 1959. Perhaps influenced by his father, he elected to follow a very traditional path. Aldo however was more interested in modernising Barolo, and in 1969 the brothers went their separate ways. In 1974, Giovanni (Roberto’s father) spear-headed the fortuitous and massively courageous investment in the 14-hectare monopole of Cascina Francia, situated at 400 metres above sea level. It is a limestone/ sandstone slope facing south-west – a fabulous site.

When Giovanni bought the land originally, it must have taken some imagination to foresee vines growing on what was then a field of wheat. There had been no wine produced from Cascina Francia prior to Conterno and from their first vintage, 1978, the family stopped buying in grapes from elsewhere. This really put Cantina Giacomo Conterno on the map as quality would be, for the first time, entirely under family control from vineyard to bottle. Moreover, there have been few estates in Italy so identified with one piece of land as Giacomo Conterno. The weight of history might bear heavily on the shoulders of Roberto – though all evidence is to the contrary. Even the tightest-lipped cynics would have to admit that Roberto has not accepted the responsibility lightly. Hard work and attention to detail, allied to near fanatical traditionalism and perfectionism, has produced award-winning wines year on year.