Ep 542: Franciacorta -- Italy's Elite Sparkling Wine Region

Wine for Normal People

With the holidays coming, I thought it would be a good time to do a show on a different kind of sparkling wine, so this time I cover Italy’s premier traditional method sparkling wine, Franciacorta.

Map: Consorzio per la tutela del Franciacorta

Franciacorta is a high quality Italian sparkling wine made in the area of Brescia in Lombardy (the Italian region where Milan is located). Franciacorta, as a sparkling wine, came into being in the 1960s but it didn’t take long for it to gain a favorable reputation, which still holds today. With very distinctive geographical features and a unique microclimate, the wines here are marked by a balance of excellent acidity and lovely aromas of fruit, flowers, nuts and more.

The thing that makes Franciacorta stand out among other sparklers from Italy is that wines from this region can only be produced using the traditional method (like Champagne, unlike Prosecco) and must be made primarily from the French grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot nero (Pinot noir), and Pinot bianco (Pinot blanc).

Photo: Consorzio per la tutela del Franciacorta

Despite the similarities with their French counterpart, the terroir in Franciacorta presents weather patterns that include a lake effect, Alpine breezes, and ample wind. The entire area was formed by glacial movement – no by a small sea receding and leaving a bed of chalky limestone as was the case in Champagne.

Priced at a premium, these wines are ideal if you love Champagne or sparkling wine but want something fruitier, fuller, and with less piercing acidity.

Photo: Consorzio per la tutela del Franciacorta

In this show I cover the history, terroir, grapes, winemaking, and the three types of Franciacorta: nonvintage, rosé, and saten and the overlying classifications of millesimato and riserva.

Photo: Colline della Stella

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Main information sources: https://franciacorta.wine/en/

Franciacorta DOCG Regulatory document

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