Franciacorta, stylish Italian sparkling wine

Franciacorta

Franciacorta is one among the leading brands that have the reputation for producing the best high-end Italian sparkling wine. Wines that are produced under this name is made from grapes that are grown within a section of the Province of Brescia called Franciacorta, on the hills found at the southern coast of Lake Iseo and the City of Brescia. Franciacorta wines were awarded Denominazione di Origine controllata (DOC) status in 1967. DOC means the product has been produced under defined local quality assurance and within the specified region using defined methods.

The award has been upgraded in 1995 to Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) meaning the above and labelled wines are analysed and tasted by government–licensed personnel before being bottled. The product has gained more popularity since aquiring DOCG status.

The producers of Franciacorta sparkling wines started out with only 3,000 bottles and marketed it under the name Pinot di Franciacorta. It became popular among wine enthusiasts and received positive reviews, which is why production grew to 20,000 bottles at the time. Currently, 100,000 bottles are produced every year.

The excellent climate, geography and soil conditions in Brescia have allowed for the constant cultivation of vines in the area. With these, top quality wines with distinct micro bubbles can be produced every year.

Back in May I attended a special tasting at the stylist Andaz Hotel, 1901 Bar next to  Liverpool Street Station.  Chris Cooper, former head sommelier  at Soho House among other fine establishments in the UK, headed the tasting with flair. Franciacorta,  fine sparkling wine, is slowly getting into the UK market with 26 currently imported in to the UK. Franciacorta matches quite well with food.

On the night we tasted a zero-dosage Franciacorta. Dosage is a sweet wine that’s added to each bottle of sparkling wine including Champagne to balance the high acidity, giving the wine more body and complexity. Zero-dosage means that the sweet wine hasn’t been added in to the bottle. These wines are very crisp and tart -They are marketed  as ‘sugar-free’. We had a very nice bottle from winery Cà del Vént zero-dosage Blanc de Blanc, 2009, a delicious biodynamic sparkling wine 100% Chardonnay that went down a treat.  Cà del Vént can be found at The Wine Markers Club in London

 Types of Franciacorta

Franciacorta

The classic variety has a straw yellow colour where you can find a delicate hint of gold. As you take a sip, you will feel its persistent effervescence while experiencing a subtle taste of bread crust, yeast, citrus and nuts. This bottle serves as the perfect meeting place for savour, freshness and finesse.

Franciacorta Saten

This variety is known for its fine but constant sparkle. It appears in a colour of pale yellow, although sometimes, it can look deep with a hint of green. You can smell a subtle hint of floral scent mixed with that of ripe fruit and toasted almond and hazelnut. Tasting it reminds you of the softness of silk as its beautiful flavour combines with its innate smoothness.

Franciacorta Rosé

Red grapes that have been fermented with skins have been used in the production of this particular Pinot Noir. It comes from a Pinot Noir base wine fermented in rosé that could come as pure or with a mixture of Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc. The vinification with the skins gives the characteristic body and robustness of the wine, on top of the usual scent of grapes.

Franciacorta Millesimato

This more refined vintage version of sparkling wine is known to be fermented for at least 30 months before being available for consumption, and all wine comes from a single year. The taste clearly reflects the type of climate and the conditions that the fermentation has gone through.

 Franciacorta Riserva

This very complex and sophisticated sparkling wine. Its taste given by this variety of vintage wine from the brand is brought about by the long years of fermentation that it has to go through. This wine has to spend 67 months in the cellar before being available to the public, so the Franciacorta Riserva is only released on the market at least 67 months (five and a half years) after the harvest.

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