Extraordinary as it may sound, it was Gianni (father) and Andrea (son) who actually approached us. They were showing their wines at a fair in Italy, where the next-door table’s exhibitor was our good friend Giampaolo Venica (of the eponymous winery in Collio, Friuli). Talk turned to the UK market: when asked who imported his wine, Giampaolo declared “Decorum”. Soon after, we got a knock on our door…

Infectious enthusiasm is everywhere at Tenuta Rocca, it just permeates every pore. Situated just on the outskirts of Monforte d’Alba, in the little hamlet of Ornati (reached after passing Giacomo Conterno on the left!), it was the main hill (the ‘Sorì Rocca’) where a farmhouse was built in the 18th century. Gianni and Andrea are a potent double-act: the former with thirty-five years of winemaking experience, the latter’s youthful knowledge and desire to seek ever-higher quality (and increasing reliance on bio-dynamic agriculture, absolutely correct).