Azienda Agricola Faraone has built its identity around the preservation of old vineyards and the protection of a distinctly territorial expression of Montepulciano, with its heart lying in three hectares of historic pergola-trained vineyards planted in 1962 and the 1980s that give shape to the winery’s most iconic wines.

Set along the ancient Setteponti road above Loro Ciuffenna, in the Valdarno di Sopra DOC of Tuscany, the Vigna delle Sanzioni is one of Italy’s most paradoxical vineyards: conceived as propaganda, preserved as heritage, and today reimagined as a living, working estate.

In the undulating mosaic of northeastern Veneto, few landscapes articulate the meaning of heroic viticulture as convincingly as Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG. This is heroism defined not by romance but by measurable constraint: slopes routinely exceeding 30 percent and, in their most dramatic sectors, rising far steeper; vineyards climbing from approximately 100 to nearly 500 metres above sea level; terraces engineered to prevent erosion; and a production model in which mechanisation remains excluded.

Beneath the castle of Conegliano, in the very heart of the city that gave birth to Prosecco, lies a vineyard unlike any other, planted within the walls of Villa Gera. Many of the vines in this historic parcel are over a century old.

In the heart of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape, Nino Franco is safeguarding one of the region’s rarest treasures: the centenary vineyard of Col del Vent.

In the heart of the legendary Chianti Classico zone, the winery of Arillo in Terrabianca nurtures a special parcel: the Vigna Terrabianca vineyard, situated at their main Tenuta Terrabianca in Radda in Chianti. Across its three estates – Terrabianca in Chianti Classico, Il Tesoro in Maremma, and Colle Brezza in Val d’Orcia – the winery owns a total of 60 hectares of vineyards. 

In the gently rolling hills of western Chianti Classico, Isole e Olena stands as a benchmark for authenticity, vision, and the enduring value of old vines. Founded by Paolo De Marchi’s family, and shaped by his pioneering approach, the estate has built its reputation on a profound respect for vine heritage and terroir expression.

Tucked into the dramatic slopes of the Dolomite mountain range—a UNESCO World Heritage site—Castel Katzenzungen rises above the village of Prissiano in South Tyrol. This romantic Renaissance castle, dating back to 1244, offers more than historic beauty: it safeguards one of the oldest and most extraordinary grapevines in the world.