ITALY produces a staggering quantity of wine – a fifth of the entire world's production in 2005 – yet vast amounts of it remain unfamiliar to us. Compared to chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and the rest of the noble French varieties, Italian grapes such as fiano, piedirosso and aglianico seem mysterious and unknowable.

Food and wine formed the basis of Italian civilisation, yet the country has never been able to produce a wine-making structure that the average drinker can understand. (Comprehending Italian wine has been likened to trying to map out the interior of an anthill.)

Despite plenty of indigenous grape varieties and some stunningly creative winemakers, Italy still feels like a collection of regions rather than a homogenous winemaking country. As a result, it is perhaps easiest to approach the subject through the eye of a producer rather than any geographical area or grape variety.

Marchesi de' Frescobaldi is one of Italy's most important, historic and aristocratic producers. It speaks volumes of the persuasive powers of Victor and Carina Contini that they have managed to secure some of Frescobaldi's most sought-after Tuscan wines for their Edinburgh restaurant Centotre. They even invited the great man himself, Leonardo Frescobaldi, to introduce the list – and he came, too, braving the capital's autumn weather.

Frescobaldi is a name you'll be hearing a lot more of. As the Italian wine boom continues, Frescobaldi has grown with it, swelling from being a 40,000-bottle producer in the late 1960s to making more than ten million today. A chain of wine bars in Florence and Rome has been launched, with rumours they'll be reaching our shores next.

The Frescobaldi family fortune was earned not in the vineyard but in the banking hall. From the Palazzo Frescobaldi in central Florence, it controlled a dynasty: from bankers and tax collectors to the English Crown in the late 13th century, to wine producers since the 14th century, with trading posts in China, Constantinople and Damascus.

Today, it has nine estates that cover 1,000 hectares of vineyards and produce wines that have a rich, ripe appeal. In the past three decades, it has quietly modernised and expanded its operations, helping to transform Tuscany's reputation from being a producer of a cheap, run-of-the-mill wine to that of a haven for some of the world's best. Prices, unfortunately, have spiralled ever upwards, with many now out of reach of even the most well-heeled wine-lover.

Of the wines Leonardo introduced, it was the chardonnay from the higher plains of Pomino that really excited. Clean, creamy and with a rich burgundian edge, perhaps in the style of a meursault, it was instantly appealing. Its sweeter cousin, the 2006 Pomino Vendemmia Tardiva (£34.95, 50cl), an interesting blend of chardonnay, gewürztraminer and pinot blanc, could also compete in the pudding section.

The 2005 Mormoreto, Castello di Nipozzano (£43.95), was a brooding, intense cabernet sauvignon blend with notes of stewed fruit and a soft, mellow palate.

2006 Rosa di Corte, Italy, £8.95

A heavy, full-bodied rosé made with very small, ripe sangiovese grapes. A wine without great ambition, but one that has an immense amount of charm.

2006 Pomino Benefizo Chardonnay Riserva, Italy, £25.95

This oaked wine is wonderful. Clean, creamy with a long, buttery round finish, it's a splendid example of chardonnay at its best and, despite the price tag, is well worth the money.

2005 Giramonte, Tenuta di Castiglioni, Italy, £59.95

This is big, spicy and moody, with lots of autumnal flavours such as dark cherry and damson. It's a rich and mouth-filling wine, but has a seductive quality.

Stockist: Centotre, 103 George Street, Edinburgh (0131 225 1550, www.centotre.com)

Deals of the week

• GH Martel Brut Champagne, France

Usually £26.99 – down 37% to £15.99, at Morrisons

• Radcliffe's Bordeaux Rouge, France

Usually £8.99 – down 50% to £4.49, at Wine Rack

• 2008 Montana Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, Australia

Usually £7.99 – save £6 when you buy two bottles, at Majestic