When it comes to the history and tradition of winemaking it would be hard to top Tuscany, whose well-earned reputation as Italy’s answer to Bordeaux precedes it. Any discussion of fine Italian wine usually begins with the green valleys of a region whose vineyards were prized by the Romans.

Tuscany’s rise to pre-eminence began in the 12th century, when the self-ruling cities of central Italy periodically battled for control of the fertile hills of Chianti. It is a story of three prominent aristocratic families who still have an influential role in Italian wine.