Franciacorta

Established in the early 1960s, Franciacorta is the premium area in Italy for sparkling wine; deliberately modelled on the wines of Champagne, the wines are made in a similar fashion, from the same grapes, and sold at similarly high prices. The challenge for Franciacorta is both to take advantage of, and rise above, the popularity of cheap, friendly Prosecco and convince consumers that it is worth buying instead of, or as well as, Champagne.

I attended a tasting a couple of weeks ago, led by Peter McCombie MW, who argued valiantly in favour of the quality of Franciacorta, while recognising the difficulty of persuading customers to pay the prices the wines demand. The eight wines we tasted demonstrated the consistently high standard of Franciacorta wines, but I am still not sure that the area can compete with Champagne in terms of quality at such prices - a problem English sparkling wine also faces.

where is it?

Franciacorta is in the north of Italy, in the middle of the Italian lakes. The nearest lake is Iseo, which has a cooling influence. The area also has the Alps to the north and other surrounding hills to provide protection from the warm air blowing from the south. Franciacorta, an undulating valley, was formed by glaciers, and as a result the region has glacial moraine soil, an important factor on the styles of wine produced. The more superficial soils produce floral wines, while the deeper soils on the slopes provide dried fruits and vegetal, nutty, complex aromas.

what is it?

Franciacorta is a small, tight-knit community all dedicated to producing high-quality wines. The wines of Franciacorta are always sparkling, made from Chardonnay, Pinot Nero, and, less commonly, Pinot Bianco. (There is a separate DOC for still wines, Corta Francia, using the same grapes.) The method used is the same as Champagne - a first fermentation to produce a still wine, followed by a second fermentation in the bottle which generates yeasty, bready aromas as well as the bubbles. Ageing requirements vary, but are generally stricter and higher than any sparkling wine appellation other than Champagne. A major difference between Franciacorta and Champagne is that the wines don't have Champagne's searingly high acidity, making the wines softer and more approachable.

wines

Montenisa Dosaggio Zero NV

"Dosaggio Zero" means that the wine has received no dosage - the traditional top-up of sugar and wine at the last phase of a sparkling wine's life, which gives the wine some sweetness. A wine without the dosage is bone dry, which I think takes away the point of the best sparkling wine; it's a very fashionable style at the moment, however, reflecting the historically increasing dryness of Champagne. In partnership with the super-Tuscan producers Antinori, this wine is 100% Chardonnay, with thirty months ageing on its lees. There are subtle, biscuity notes of autolysis (the yeasty aromas that come from the second fermentation in the bottle), with apples and lemons. The wine is dry, fresh, with an acidity less sharp than a Champagne equivalent, and a gripping cinnamon finish.

Contadi Castaldi Dosaggio Zero 2009

A different example of the non dosage style from the first wine: vintage, with some malolactic fermentation, longer on its lees (36-40 months), and 50% Chardonnay and Pinot Nero. From a hot vintage, these variants produce a much toastier wine, richer and more powerful, with inviting autoylsis aromas and buttery flavours from the MLF.

Ronco Calino Brut NV

Part of the fun of tasting sparkling wine is guessing which grapes are in the mix. Quite a few of the guests at the tasting were convinced Pinot Bianco was in the blend, because it's a grape that provides fuller flavours than Chardonnay - but also because Pinot Bianco is allowed in Franciacorta, unlike Champagne. Not a single one of the wines we tasted had any Pinot Bianco, and the stone and tropical fruits (peach, banana, pineapple) and vanilla came from the warmer climate and use of barriques in fermentation, rather than Pinot Bianco - this wine is 80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Nero.

La Montina Brut 2007

A very unusual wine - more like a still white wine that had some bubbles than a sparkling wine. Fermented in oak, with 38 months on its lees, there were vanilla and spices from the oak, with a long, spicy finish, and funky nose. A very good wine, but not what people are looking for from bubbles.

Villa Crespia - Muratori Satèn

Satèn could well be the style of wine that gets people hooked on Franciacorta. 100% Chardonnay and slightly less sparkling, it's a delicate, inviting style of wine and the best examples of Franciacorta I'd previously tasted have been Satèn - the word means satin, which is a good description of the style. This wine was a bit disappointing, however, perhaps trying too hard to be a little different. There is spontaneous, partially completed malolactic fermentation; the use of selected yeasts for, apparently, both first and second fermentations; and some oak. The result is a wine that's very biscuity and buttery with citrus fruits, but finishes short after that.

Villa Franciacorta Satèn 2009

This was the first wine of the tasting that made me sit up and take note. The winemaking is "natural" - that is, with as little interference from the winemaker as possible. An elegant, delicate wine, with balanced bready, yeasty, doughy aromas, with a fresh, apple finish. This is what I want from a 100% Chardonnay sparkling wine: restrained, fine, yet long and complex.

Il Mosnel Rosé 2008

Sparkling rosé is, at its best, some of the greatest wine to be had, and this is a fine example. Rosé in Franciacorta is made differently from Champagne: there is a brief maceration on the skins to give the wine its colour, whereas in Champagne the colour comes from added red wine. This wine has a pale salmon, Provençal colour, with a combination of finesse and complexity: toast, savoury, cranberry, dry, refeshing, with a high yet not dominant acidity. I felt this was the best example of what Franciacorta, with its lower, softer acidity, has to offer.

Berlucchi Guido Rosé NV

The tasting ended where Franciacorta started. One of the three big producers, Berlucchi was the first to produce and market sparkling wine. This wine is 70% Pinot Nero - called "rosé of one night," to describe the length of skin contact - with 15g/L of residual sugar. It's a rich, fruity, slightly sweet wine that's very satisfying and would be great with spicy food, but one I would find difficult to have more than one glass of.

Franciacorta is a region to follow: of the eight wines we tasted, two were excellent and the other six were all of a high standard. I still think the region has a lot to learn, but that's not surprising given it's so young. What's important to remember is that the area has more in common with Champagne than fellow Italian sparkling wine regions Asti and Prosecco. This makes it a difficult area to market, but it's one well worth experimenting with if you like sparkling wine.