Cellar visit and tasting in the infernotto — Tenuta Santa Caterina

Book ahead and they'll take you down into the infernotto, a cellar cut 17 metres into the tufo where the Barbera and Grignolino age in French barriques and big Slavonian botti — a good few degrees cooler than the yard, and part of what earned these hills their UNESCO listing. The Alleva family have run the estate since 2000; visits are by appointment at 11.30 or 15.00, and you can pitch it anywhere from a €20 flight of Monferrato wines up to €85 sitting down with the winemaker. Add a board of Piedmontese cold cuts and cheese for €15 if you're making an afternoon of it.

Run by Tenuta Santa Caterina