The Franciacorta wine region lies at the heart of Lombardy, bordering Lake Iseo on its northern side. It covers about 200 sq. kilometers across 19 municipalities in the Province of Brescia. The picturesque landscape was formed by retreating glaciers
The Franciacorta wine region lies at the heart of Lombardy, bordering Lake Iseo on its northern side. It covers about 200 sq. kilometers across 19 municipalities in the Province of Brescia. The picturesque landscape was formed by retreating glaciers that left mineral-rich soil in their place nearly 10,000 years ago.
Perhaps lesser known than Italy’s more widely distributed sparkling wine — Prosecco — Franciacorta is more similar in style to a Champagne or Cava, as it is a bottle-fermented wine as opposed to tank-fermented like Prosecco, giving it a reputation as a highly underrated wine of exceptional quality. As a high-quality sparkling wine made in the Méthode Champenoise from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (with limited amounts of Pinot Blanc), Franciacorta is clearly Italy's answer to Champagne. The wine comes in both non-vintage and vintage forms, and the standard white is complemented by a rosé version (for which the base wine must be at least 25% Pinot Noir). There is even a blanc de blancs equivalent called Franciacorta Satèn, made exclusively from Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco.
All Franciacorta wine is bottle-aged on its lees, to increase its complexity and flavor integration. The ageing period is 18 months for the non-vintage wines, 24 months for the rosé and satèn, 30 months for the vintage-marked millesimato and an impressive 60 months for the riserva wines. The grapes that are permitted in production are Chardonnay, Pinot Nero, and Pinot Bianco, with the last only being permitted in up to 50% of the blend.