For those who are tuning in late to this column, over the last few weeks we have been travelling though the Italian landscape visiting various establishments related to wine.

It was a journey I undertook with a group of thirty of twenty-one different nationalities on a study tour as part of my two years International Vintage Masters on Wine and Vine management coordinated by Ecole Superieur d’Agriculture d’ Angers, France.

It has been an interesting journey so far and promises to bring in more adventure and learning in the days ahead. After Italy I’d be heading by train to Hungary which I am really looking forward to. I will write about that in my subsequent column. For today it is Italy.

We were in the hilly region of Trentino which is in the northern most part of Italy. We were staying in this lovely hotel in a small village named Ala. It was along the Ala River and to our surprise and delight there was an Indian restaurant next to our hotel.  The day we checked into that hotel we had to dine there.

All my fellow classmates loved the Tandoori chicken and the Nans!! Getting back to business, our day eight began with a visit to Cantina Sociale D’Isera (zona Marzemino, Trentino).

This again is a cooperative winery and we had a very informative visit conducted by the new Director. The cooperative is 100 years old, has 230 members. Their farmers have to give 100 per cent of their produce to it.

Archipelago Muratori (Franciacorta, Lombardia), from an entrepreneur's point of view this is by far the most ambitious project visited on this study tour and a big learning opportunity.

Creating a huge winery out of nothing in the last ten years and building a reputation for its wine is a tough task in the wine world where terroir is a must and it means hundreds and hundreds of years of estate history. The project is an “interpretation of the corporate philosophy” as per their brochure.

The regions of Franciacorta (2200h total) are one of the most prestigious wine areas of Italy know for its sparkling white wine.