San Pietro in Cariano, Veneto, Italy

The Begali family - father Lorenzo, son Giordano and daughter Tiliana - farm 10 hectares just east of Lake Garda.

Although small, this is a top Valpolicella estate, having won numerous Tre Bicchieri awards in the Gambero Rosso guide. Furthermore Begali are one of the thirteen "Famiglie Storiche", historic familes of Amarone, an association founded in 2009, dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of this famed style, whereby the wine is made from selected bunches of grapes dried in the autumn on straw to concentrate the sugars and dry extract. As such it’s high in alcohol but not fortified.

All the Begali wines (bar Tigiolo, which includes some Cabernet Sauvignon) are made from the same local grapes - Corvina and Rondinella - but made in very different styles, from the sprightly Valpolicella Classic via Ripasso and Classico Superiore to powerful and intense Amarone.