A magical combination of sheer determination and passion for winemaking, in a unique setting: this typifies Cantina Francone in Neive, a stone’s throw from Barbaresco in the rolling hills of the Langhe.
Our roots lie in a family tradition, consolidated over time, with a strong bond to the local area. Our vision focuses on modernisation, and great attention to customer service and hospitality in the winery.
Following Alberto (class of 1892 who ran an inn near Turin) an early Pioneer of Francone wines in Piemonte, Giovanni Battista took the company over from his mother Teresa and began making wine in 1940. In Neive, in 1964, Giovanni Battista and his sons Mauro and Silvano fulfilled their dream of building an imposing new winery, where the company is still based today. Their pioneering idea was to offer hospitality to the first curious tourists starting to arrive unaware of the potential of this emerging winemaking district.
Today the Winery continues to pursue this successful strategy focusing on its hospitality activities, undertaken directly by members of the family, as well as direct sales to wine shops, restaurants and distributors throughout the world. Our passion for winemaking and wine has been handed down from generation to generation, and the family and the region’s history is now displayed in the winery’s museum in the form of old unique artefacts, utensils and tools used to turn grapes into wine. This will be were your visit begins.
Today brothers Marco and Fabrizio Francone, with the invaluable help of dad Mauro, manage the vineyards and the winery.
Our philosophy follows the traditional methods of the classic fine wines of the Langhe area but is coupled with a desire to continually improve our results year on year. This means that we select each grape variety individually as it is suited to each vineyard dependent on position, altitude and terrain. This produces an extensive range of quality wines produced in limited quantities.
Two principles guide us:
Respect for the vines, cultivated in an “integrated agriculture” manner Wine-making and ageing processes which respect the raw material and its natural characteristics through lengthy fermentation on the skins and sulphite content 60% below the permitted level.
Our aim is to make wines that are both elegant and drinkable and not solely full-bodied and structured. This is not a “numbers” story of hectares and bottles but of the work undertaken in the vineyards by hand, from the winter pruning to the harvest.
