Mirafiore
Known as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Langhe region in Piedmont is home to the Mirafiore winery in the Fontanafredda area. The farm's 25 hectares of certified organic vineyards are located in the villages of Serralunga d'Alba and Barolo. The vines grow in the middle and upper parts of the famous slopes 300-480 meters above sea level, where the temperature variation between day and night preserves the natural acidity of the grapes well throughout the growing season. Taking care of the vitality of the vines starts with respecting the soil, and the nurseries follow organic cultivation methods.
Mirafiore's winemaking follows the traditional methods of the region. Wines ferment naturally with the help of yeast in the skins of the grapes. During the fermentation process, the grape pulp is mixed with the juice, so that as much of the grapes as possible can be extracted into the finished wine aromas and taste. The wines are not stabilized or clarified and the filtration is also very minimal. Instead of small barrels, the cellar contains large oak vats and concrete tanks in accordance with the traditional winemaking style of the region.
The farm's long, even 150-year history is behind the activities that respect nature and utilize traditional winemaking methods. son of the first king of Italy, Emanuele Alberto Guerrieri, Count of Mirafiore, founded the farm in 1878. Guerrieri was very dedicated to wine production and built the necessary infrastructure in the village of Barolo for both winemaking and the staff working on the farm. The first concrete barrels in Europe were built in the cellars of the estate in accordance with the patent of the Swiss company Borsari, and the wines won their first gold medals in a competition organized in Cologne, Germany in 1887. With the Count, Barolo became a drink enjoyed on the international market instead of a limited number of luxury wines. Already in 1890, Mirafiore wines were available in Brussels, Chicago and San Francisco.
When Emanuele's son Alberto took over the farm after his father passed away at only 42 years old, Mirafiore's story experienced a small backwater phase. Alberto's passion and skills in wine production did not quite reach his father's level, which, together with the global economic depression and the wine aphid, eventually led the farm to bankruptcy. The estate was sold in 1931 for a purchase price of only 100,000 lire to a Tuscan bank, and later to Gancia, and Mirafiore's name sank into oblivion for more than 70 years.
A new era in Mirafiore's story began in 2008, when the farm's ownership passed to Oscar Farinetti and the farm's wine production was restarted. The founder's values and winemaking philosophy have been brought into a new era, but traditional methods are still followed in the cellars, with the wines fermenting in cement tanks and maturing in large old oak vessels. In recent years, the farm's wines have once again won numerous awards, such as the selection of Barolo Riserva 2007 as the Best in Show wine at the Decanter World Wine Awards. Since 2018, the farm's wines have been certified for organic production.
The farm's total annual production is around 140,000 bottles.
