The brand Fontanafredda which means "Cold Fountain", has an unusual romantic origin history. This is a love story between Duchess of Italy Rosa Mirafiori and king Vittorio Emanuele II. When meeting the fourteen-year-old beauty, who was the daughter of an ordinary soldier, the king secretly loved her for many years, and only after the death of his legal wife, Rosa become his wife. Despite the marriage, Rosa's children could not claim the throne, they had to take care of their future themselves. One of the wonderful gifts to his beloved one was his hunting reserve Serralunga d'Alba. After the Duchess's death, the hunting reserve was inherited by her son, Duke Emanuele Alberto di Mirafiori. For all its splendor, the reserve could hardly feed the Monarch's son, so in 1878 he established a winery in the area and became the true king of Italian wines. The vineyards currently occupy more than 70 hectares in northwestern Italy, in magnificent Piedmont surrounded by the Alps. The word "piedmont" literally means "Under the Mountains." The vineyards are located in the communities of Barolo, Serralunga d'Alba and Diano d'Alba. Nebbiolo grapes cover the most area in the vineyards (40 ha), while Chardonnay, Moscato, Barbera, and Dolcetto grape varieties grow in equal numbers in the rest of the area. Today, Fontanafredda is co-owned by Oscar Farinetti, a well-known Italian businessman and the founder of the Slow Food movement. The company produces a wide range of the best Piedmont wines, which are included in the wine lists of the best restaurants and regularly receive high reviews from wine critics. Internationally recognized Robert Parker calls Fontanafredda "one of the greatest names of Piedmont winemaking."