Alfredo Prunotto a renowned wine-maker who worked for the most prestigious wineries of the time, took over in 1923, the Cantina Sociale "Vini delle Langhe" (Wine of the Langhe area Cooperative) founded in Alba in 1904 which, right after the First World War, had fallen on difficult times. Thanks to Alfredo and his wife's great passion, the Prunotto winery soon became famous, exporting its wines throughout the world. In 1956 Prunotto retired from business and sold the company to wine-maker and friend Beppe Colla who, together with Carlo Filiberti and later with brother Tino Colla, carried on managing the winery with Alfredo's same love.
In 1972 the business grew and moved to the present headquarters just outside Alba. The company was taken over in 1989 by the Tuscan winery Antinori which first took care of distribution and later - in 1995 when the Colla brothers retired - of production, keeping up the excellent level of quality so sought after by Alfredo Prunotto.
The Prunotto winery originally did not own vineyards but selected, pressed and blended the best grapes grown in the Langhe, Albese and Monferrato areas by wine producers with whom Prunotto shared decades of collaboration as well as a common philosophy of production.
In 1990, in order to give new stimuli to production, 7 hectares of vineyards were acquired, in the Bussia cru, one of the most renowned in the Barolo area. In 1995 another 27 hectares were added, this time in the area of Agliano which is famous for the production of Barbera d'Asti; the aim was to produce new wines from this varietal of great potential.
In addition to the above prestigious vineyards, the year 1997 saw two further developments: a beautiful vineyard of 5 hectares in the Barbaresco area called "Bric Turot", and another of 5 hectares in the area of Treiso planted with Moscato vines. This reconfirms Prunotto's desire to control in every detail all phases of production, commencing with viticulture itself.
About 800.000 bottles a year are produced in Prunotto's cellars, and are made up mostly of red wines with smaller amounts of Moscato, Arneis, Moscato and Bussia grappas and Ansolà.
The high quality of the Prunotto wines depends not only on the rigorous selection of grapes, but also on careful wine-making which continually tries out new techniques such as the automatic pumping over the cap and the use of wooden fermentation vats. Wood is given an important role in the ageing: recently new 100Hl French oak casks, as well as 5Hl tonneaux and 225L barriques were bought so that all the wines could be aged in the way most suited to their typology.
There is no previously established formula for ageing; the method and the amount of time required to exalt each wine's greatest potential are decided upon year by year, keeping in mind each wine's special characteristics.
Ageing in the bottle helps raise the level of quality as well; at Prunotto the wine is kept in bottles for the longest time possible before shipping. That way, when the wine reaches the consumer, we are sure that it is at its best, the result of almost a century of experience, of great passion and love for the wine.