Franciacorta DOCG

Franciacorta is the appellation for a traditional method sparkling wines (metodo classico) produced in the province of Brescia, Lombardy, from grapes grown in the area, between the lake Iseo and the city of Brescia, appellation that has been granted the DOCG status in 1995.

The grape grown in the area and permitted in the Franciacorta wine are Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Nero and from 2019, Erbamat, a native white grape characterised by a late ripening and high acidity that has been introduced to fight the effect of climate change.

The Franciacorta wine follows the traditional or classic method where the secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle. Prosecco, on the other side, is made using the Charmat or Marinotti method, with the secondary fermentation taking place in stainless steel tanks.

Franciacorta, Champagne and Cava are all classic method sparkling wines produced in, respectively Italy, France and Spain and one of their key differences lies in the minimum length of time the wines undergo secondary fermentation and ageing on their lees. Franciacorta has a minimum of 18 months, Champagne a minimum of 12 and Cava 9 and this is for non vintage wines. The longer the second fermentation, the better, the more elegant, with a softer bubble, the wine.

Franciacorta can be NV, Vintage or Millesimato, in the case of Vintage and Millesimato wines, all the grapes used must come from the year stated on the label. Franciacorta can also be produced as Rosé, which must contain at least 35% Pinot Nero. Satèn is a Blanc de Blancs style, made exclusively from Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco, and characterised by lower bottle pressure. Franciacorta Riserva must undergo a minimum of five years, or 60 months, of ageing on its own lees.

Franciacorta is not the only Italian appellation classic method wine, there are several, both DOCG and DOC, and many more are produced from south to north.