An hour's drive from Milan, Franciacorta is one of Italy's most respected areas for sparkling wine production. The Franciacorta wine region is known for wines made via the Metodo Classico, the same method used for Champagne production.
Spanning approximately 3,000 hectares, the vineyards yield 17.5 million bottles per year, produced by 116 wineries associated with the consortium. In addition, more than 62% of the vineyards are cultivated without the use of chemicals, a fact that distinguishes Franciacorta as one of the world's most important regions for organic viticulture.
The history of Franciacorta as we know it is relatively recent, dating back to 1961, even though wine has been made in this area of Lombardy since ancient times, as it's referenced in the works of classical authors like Pliny, Columella, and Virgil. The first trials of sparkling wine production date back to the 1500s, as revealed by Brescian doctor Girolamo Conforti’s book Libellus de vino mordaci/Dissertation on Sparkling Wine.
An enchanting story
After World War II, local winemaking surged. Shaped by glacial movement, the gentle hills of Franciacorta, which slope down to Lake Iseo, are bordered in the northeast by foothills of the Rhaetian Alps, captivated a small group of entrepreneurs and managers who began buying vineyards, transforming Franciacorta into a winemaking region in which producers experimented to create Champagne-like wines.
In 1961, after a few years of trial and error, young enologist Franco Ziliani succeeded in developing the region’s first Metodo Classico wine—the Pinot di Franciacorta Brut—for the Guido Berlucchi winery. This was followed by the Pinot di Franciacorta Brut Rosé the following year. The wine was instantly successful and other producers soon began imitating them, so much so that a few years later, in 1967, Franciacorta obtained DOC certification. In 1995, it became the first Italian territory to obtain DOCG certification for the production of Metodo Classico wines.
In the meantime, thanks to Ca’ del Bosco winery, Franciacorta Satèn was born in 1980. This wine is made entirely from white grapes (primarily Chardonnay) exclusive to Franciacorta and characterized by a particularly creamy perlage. Thanks to the morainic soils and particular climatic conditions, these grape varieties mature fully and deliver an outstanding concentration of aromas.
You can read more about Franciacorta's wines and wineries here.