Angelo Gaja took over in 1961 and made the once-unknown Barbaresco a global icon.

The Gaja family settled in Piedmont in the mid-17th century, and Giovanni Gaja founded the Barbaresco winery in 1859. Over two generations it became a respected Italian producer known for Nebbiolo reds.

Angelo Gaja, the fourth generation, joined in 1961 after studying oenology and economics. At the time Barbaresco was an undiscovered wine drunk mainly in Italy with no exports — the challenge he set out to overcome.

He made revolutionary choices: introducing new varieties into the Langhe, pioneering small barriques, single-vineyard selections and longer corks, and building a global reputation for wines that had none.

By his own account he spent decades earning the market reputation the wine deserved; today Gaja is acknowledged and sought after by connoisseurs worldwide, with his children Gaia, Giovanni and Rossana taking over the reins.

Gaja wines are now sold in more than 80 countries and sought after worldwide, with the fifth generation working alongside Angelo since 2004.

Technical training gave the heir tools the family lacked.

Export focus turned a local wine into a global brand.

Innovation — barriques, single vineyards — built a new category.

The family's contrarian style kept the brand distinctive.

A handover succeeds when the heir adds technical skill and global ambition to the family's craft instead of merely preserving it.

The fifth generation joined from 2004 onward, and the family still avoids websites and social media, preferring personal communication. Angelo, now in his 80s, remains involved, while his children divide the Italian and international markets and continue the winery's tradition of questioning everything.