Albino Rocca is a small family winery in the Piedmont region of Italy. The winery can trace its history back through four generations of the Rocca family, when Albino’s father Giacomo began selling grapes from the family vineyards in the 1940s, and later making his own wine.

In the 1960s, Albino Rocca inherited some of the family’s most prized vineyards, and founded the current winery. The hard work of Albino and his late son, Angelo, created the world-class winery that exists today. The winery combines traditional and modern winemaking techniques to create Barbaresco from the Nebbiolo grape, as well as other wines.

In 1966, Domenico Poggiali Fèlsina took a leap of faith, and bought the estate now known as Fèlsina at a time when Italian wine-making was struggling. In the late 1970s, Giuseppe Mazzocolin joined the winery, and is credited with Fèlsina‘s rising international recognition. What makes Fèlsina stand out is its ability to deliver wines at very competitive prices, offering tremendous value for money, and an opportunity for all wine enthusiasts to sample some of the finest wines in the Chianti region.

Nicolas Potel produces some of the most sought-after wines in the Burgundy region. Nicolas learned the art of winemaking on his family’s estate in Volnay. In 2005, he established his own winery, Domaine de Bellene, and in 2008, he launched Maison Roche de Bellene, his negociant business. Nicolas blends traditional and modern techniques by using grapes from old vines and biodynamic and organic farming methods.

Stephane Aviron is a small, independent wine-maker in the Beaujolais region of France, which is located immediately south of Burgundy. Stephane has earned a reputation for being a neo-traditionalist, combining grapes from very old vines with both modern and traditional wine-making methods to produce wines that stand up to the finest of Burgundies in quality and complexity.

One of the most highly-regarded winemakers in France, Michel Chapoutier can trace his family’s history in the Rhône Valley back to 1808, when his great-great-great-grandfather Marius purchased an estate and some vineyards in the beautiful village of Tain L’Hermitage. Michel Chapoutier is considered a pioneer of biodynamic winemaking, the objective being to enable the terroir “to express itself fully” in the wines. To date, M. Chapoutier’s wines have garnered more than 500 90+ ratings from Wine Spectator and The Wine Advocate.

Jacques Cacheux began making wine in the Burgundy region of France in the 1950s. The Cacheux estate has 7 hectares of vines spread over 11 appellations, including Vosne Romanée, Echézeaux and Nuits-St-Georges.

In 1994, Jacques retired and left his winemaking in the hands of his son, Patrice, who has elevated the small winery to attract the attention of some of the most discerning palettes.

Famille Perrin—or the Perrin family—has been making wine at Château de Beaucastel in the Rhône Valley of France since 1909. Marc Perrin, currently in charge, is part of the 5th generation of the family.

The Château gets its name from the Beaucastel family, who were prominent residents of the area in the 16th Century. The winery is best known for its Châteauneuf du Pape wines. Famille Perrin grows 13 varieties of grapes on 100 hectares of continuous plots, which is unusual for the region. Three quarters of the vineyards are within the Châteauneuf du Pape appellation.

Viña Tondonia was founded in 1877 by the López de Heredia family. The winery is located in the small town of Haro in the La Rioja region of Spain. Viña Tondonia considers itself the “last of the Mohicans” when it comes to traditional wine-making methods. Currently, the winery is run by three siblings – the third generation of the López de Heredia family – who call themselves “vine-makers” rather than wine-makers, because they believe that the essential work of good wine-making happens in the vineyards. Everything after that is secondary. At no point in its history has the winery ever used a grape produced by another region.