Towards the end of the war, a young Guards officer met some Italian aristocrats. They had much in common. Robert Cecil was the heir to a marquessate. The Principe di Venosa’s daughter was married to an Italian marchese. Lifelong friendships have ensued down the recent generations.

Nevertheless, the English family would be the first to concede that when it comes to generations, the Italians are a couple of centuries ahead. In 1385, Giovanni di Piero joined the Florentine winemakers’ guild. The easy movement between the Florentine bourgeoisie and the aristocracy helps to explain that great city’s long success: the Medici are the obvious example, as are the Antinori, who have been making wine for 26 generations, and are still gaining momentum.

There is a remarkable girl called Alessia Antinori, one of the most energetic people on the planet, who, unusually for an Italian, insists that she does not drink coffee. The Antinori family were always comfortably placed as winemakers but the recent family members were not interested in inherited laurels. Along with their aristocratic friends and friendly rivals the Frescobaldi and the Rocchetta, they were part of a movement to enhance the quality and reputation of Italian wine. This has been an unqualified success. The Antinoris have several vineyards in Tuscany and Umbria. They make Chianti Classico, Brunello and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Anything with the Antinori label guarantees quality but they have gone further. Traditionally, Italian winemakers concentrated on Sangiovese. But the........

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