In the verdant hills of Lombardy just an hour east of Milan in Northern Italy, lies a premier sparkling wine region, Franciacorta. It was the first traditional method Italian Sparkling Wine to gain DOCG status (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita). This is as good as it gets.
Franciacorta is an elegant and sophisticated wine, often compared to champagne because the secondary fermentation occurs after bottling. This production method is referred to as the traditional method, or classic method, méthode champenoise, or in Italian, metodo classico. The second fermentation on the lees creates similar characteristics like notes of brioche, almond, or biscuity notes. And while both Champagne and Franciacorta utilize chardonnay and pinot noir grape, the similarities end there.
PIN IT!
In Italy, food and wine always go together. Franciacorta is a wine that is can pair with almost anything. The bubbles are smooth, not biting, as some sparkling wines can be. Or as the Italians say, It has an elegant perlage. I also love that many Franciacorta wines have notes of ripe fruits, Meyer lemon, and a floral finish. Brand ambassador May Matt-Aliah describes it this way, “What I like about it is that you have more ripeness of fruit. The acidity levels are high but lower than Champagne.”
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Organic wine
Franciacorta is distinguished from other sparkling wines by the cooperation and commitment of both artisan and larger producers to organic and biodynamic growing methods, hand harvesting, and reducing the dosage or added sugars. The result is a sparkling wine made with organic grapes and low, to no, sugar.
Is this the first you’ve heard of Franciacorta? This article is for you if you love learning about new wines and food pairings.
Franciacorta is not widely known outside of Italy because of the 20,000,000 bottles produced annually, only 11% are exported. Compare that to Champagne, exporting 57%, or 172 million bottles per year! Maybe the Italians prefer to keep this wine for themselves? I would!
I attended a professional tasting event in Dallas, to learn about Franciacorta with May Matta-Aliah DWS, Educational Brand Ambassador. I’ll put all of the wine and food pairing information first for readers who are not interested in more nerdy wine details like production methods, growing region, and grapes. If those details interest you, keep reading.
All the wines I tasted at Mister Charles.
The Wines
We tried nine of the best examples of Franciacorta wines paired with seven dishes. Franciacorta is especially nice with seafood and fish courses, but pairs well with creamy pasta dishes and risotto dishes.
- Berlucchi Satèn Brut ’61 – this 100%Chardonnay has notes of very ripe fruit, yellow flowers, pear, apple, and peach. A persistent perlage.
- 2019 Barone Pizzini Satèn Brut – this 100% Chardonnay wine is organic and has notes of jasmine, Meyer lemon, and stone fruit with good structure and acidity.
- 2019 Castello Bonomi Satèn Brut – made with 100 % Chardonnay grapes I like the structure of the Satén wines. Notes of jasmine, apple, brioche, and ginger.
- NV Faccoli Brut: a blend of 60% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Blanc, and 20% Pinot Noir. There is a well-balanced richness, of apricots, lemon curd, and citrus that shows its time on the lees.
- NV Castelfaglia Brut Monogram Blanc de Blancs – this blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Blanc, had notes of apple, pear, lemon zest, jasmine, and tropical fruit.
- 2019 Ca’ Del Bosco Zero dosage– this blend of 77 % Chardonnay, 17% Pinot Nero, and 15% Pinot Blanc. There are notes of jasmine, stone fruit, apple, lemon zest, and brioche. Ca’ Del Bosco is easier to find on wine lists and in stores.
- NV La Montina Rosé Extra Brut – strawberry, raspberry, pomegranate, cranberry, and flowers with a great minerality. This was a blend of 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Chardonnay.
- NV Contadi Castaldi Rosé Brut – A blend of 65 % Chardonnay and 35% Pinot Noir. I tasted notes of watermelon, orange zest, strawberries, raspberries, flowers, and brioche.
- NV Ferghettina Rosé Brut – Made with 100% Pinot Noir this is a beautiful wine. Aromas of strawberries, wild cherries, and pie crust. This wine spends 50 months on the lees. It has great depth and vibrant acidity.
Seared scallop paired with Franciacorta
- Ossetra Caviar and Egg Salad, Toasted Brioche
- Spring Pea Gougeres
- Truffle Beignet, Chive Creme Fraiche
- Blue Fin Tuna Crudo, Thai-Passion fruit dressing
- Shrimp Cappelletti, sauce Velouté, Guajillo
- Seared Scallop, Roasted Sunchokes, Pomegranate
- Atlantic Halibut, Cauliflower, sauce Vierge
Franciacorta: From DOC to DOCG
The Franciacorta region is a relatively new denomination but wine has been made in the Province of Brescia since the 8th or 9th century. Originally, the region produced still, red wines. Cluny monks increased the viticulture around the 12th century. It was about this time that the name Franciacorta first appeared. It means the area was tax-free or a free trade area. Records from the 1570s reference a bubbling wine, though certainly nothing like what is produced today.
Guido Berlucchi Winery produced the first bottle of Franciacorta as it is today, in 1961. DOC status was achieved in 1967. Franciacorta DOCG status followed in 1995. The wine route, or the Strada del vino Franciacorta, is a 40-mile wine trail established in 2000. It includes cycling trails as well. Andiamo! Let’s go!
Who can resist pink wine?
The vineyard area, located near the southern shore of Lake Iseo, is within a unique microclimate, perfect for wine grapes. A sheltered valley at the foothills of the Alps, sculpted over the millennia by glacial erosion, contrives to give Franciacorta its singular taste profile. Lake Iseo provides a moderating climate influence, cooling in the summer and warming in the winter.
The Grape Varieties
Chardonnay, Pinot Nero, and Pinot Bianco grapes are the only grapes used in the production of Franciacorta. Pinot Bianco can only be 50%. Erbamat is an old new grape and it’s allowed up to 10% in Franciacorta except for the Satèn wines.
Erbamat is an indigenous, late-maturing grape with high acidity that contributes notes of white flowers and chalky minerality. Cultivated since the 16th century, the Erbamat grape is being studied carefully. It may be the star grape at some point because it ripens later, an important quality that can withstand climate change. This is the kind of geeky wine knowledge I love. What about you?
Shrimp cappelletti and Franciacorta
Franciacorta’s production and styles
All Franciacorta wine is produced using the traditional method and is bottle-aged on its lees, to increase complexity and flavor integration. Free-run juice and juice extracted from the first gentle pressing of the grape bunches are used. The minimum time spent aging on the lees depends on the style.
Range of styles and aging
- Franciacorta (18 mths)
- Franciacorta Satèn (24 mths)
- Franciacorta Rosé (24 mths)
- Franciacorta Millesimato (30 mths)
- Franciacorta Riserva (60 mths)
Franciacorta wines have both structure and finesse. Vibrant, characterful wines featuring pristine fruit and mineral notes, these wines are fresh but not aggressive. They pair well with food but are equally some of the best wines to enjoy anytime.
If you’d like to learn more about Franciacorta from a producer check out my Instagram live chat with Stefano Rangoni of Ca’ d Or.
