YOU don't often find a decent Barolo that gives you much change from a £20 note but if you hang fire you can sometimes strike it lucky with a wine on discount offer.

This prestigious red is known as "the king of wines and wine of kings" in its Italian homeland - and its price can reflect that royalty too.

But there is currently a decent one on offer at Waitrose, down from £13.99 from £20.99 until October 3, and, what's more, it has a bewitching back story too.

It's the Terre del Barolo Piemonte, a wine that owes its existence to a remarkable man who was both a primary school teacher and an Italian Resistance fighter during the Second World War.

In 1958, Arnaldo Rivera, whose nom-de-guerre had been Arno, took a break from teaching maths and formed the Terre del Barolo winery with a small group of growers. It was an immediate success and numbers grew quickly.

Today it brings together almost 400 growers who own about 650 hectares of highly prized vineyards in the famed Langhe Hills of the great winemaking region of Piedmont in north west Italy.

Barolo is made from the noble Nebbiolo grape - the dominant variety in Piedmont's numerous DOCs (controlled designations of origin) and five DOCGs (controlled and guaranteed).

And with so much premium stuff to choose from these 650 hectares, the chances are this Terre del Barolo will be good - making it a relative steal at its current discount price.

This is a typical Nebbiolo in colour - these wines tend to fade over time from deep, violet-tinged ruby to brick red with orange nuances like this one, a 2012 vintage.

Talking of age, this medium-to-full-bodied 14 per cent red can be enjoyed now but will mature gracefully for another five years.

Aromas of coffee, tobacco, cherry and mint are released on the nose, along with violets and roses, while on the palate it is typically powerful and imperious yet elegant and smooth, with layers of ripe black fruit.

Like most Barolo wines, this bottle needs to be decanted for at least half an hour to let the flavours aerate and mix properly.

Also, given it's a big, tannic wine, it's best to have it with big dishes of similar weight too.

Paired with light meals, such as steamed vegetables, a Barolo will overwhelm the food, its tannins accentuating any bitterness and drying the palate. Instead, have it with meat dishes, heavy tomato-based meat pastas and rich risottos, letting the tannins bind to the food proteins and come across as softer while making the food tastier too.