Franciacorta Flashcards
Franciacorta
Important wine region in the hills immediately east of Brescia, with a relatively short history of producing traditional method sparkling wine from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with some Pinot Bianco. Its name is a corruption of the medieval Francae Curtes, Curtes meaning communes and Francae meaning ‘exempt of taxes’, referring to the region’s privileged position at the time. Spread over 19 villages, the area is also demarcated as DOC Curtefranca (formerly known as Terre di Franciacorta) for still white and red wines made from international varieties. In the 1980s and 1990s these answers to Bordeaux and Burgundy, often treated to lavish amounts of new oak, sold well but are now overshadowed by Franciacorta’s sparkling success. Franciacorta’s history begins in 1961 with the release of the first traditional method sparkling wine ever to be produced in the region by the house of Guido Berlucchi. The resulting demand for Berlucchi wines attracted a series of able entrepreneurs from Milan and Brescia to invest in Franciacorta. Franciacorta modelled itself closely on Champagne, while the local consorzio adopted an admirable code of self-regulation for the sparkling wines with production regulations at least as strict as those for the wine’s French model: a minimum vine density of 3,300 vines per ha; tendone and geneva double curtain training systems forbidden; a maximum yield of 65 hl/ha; and fractional pressing. The wines must undergo lees ageing for a minimum of 18 months for non-vintage wines, 30 months for vintage-dated wines, and 60 months for wines labelled Riserva. The Sáten designation refers to a blanc de blancs that has spent at least 24 months on the lees. The dosage, and hence the wine pressure, is lower than for regular Franciacorta. One contrast to champagne is that Franciacorta with zero dosage works well every year, thanks to warm days and cool evenings in summer, assisted by the moderating influence of nearby Lake Iseo. Mineral-rich gravels and limestone soil predominate. The success of the wines of Ca’ del Bosco and Bellavista, with their scrupulous attention to detail, continues to attract newcomers to the region, to such an extent that the area under vine has grown from 800 ha/2,000 acres in the late 20th century to 2,800 ha in 2011, producing 21 million bottles of sparkling wine each year. Quality of the wines is generally high, showing a real capacity for ageing, while large players co-exist well with smaller, more artisanal producers, often focusing on organic and biodynamic viticulture.
Franciacorta- WSET
Franciacorta DOCG is the only traditional method sparkling wine in Italy that has been promoted to DOCG. Producers in the region are very proud of their achievements in a relatively short space of time and have shown great unity and decisiveness in agreeing a very strict set of regulations which are very closely modelled on Champagne.
Location- Franciacorta
Delimited area with in the region of Lombardia (Lombardy)
Climate- Franciacorta
Warm, continental climate with breezes from Lake d’ Iseo.
Vineyard- Franciacorta
There are strict rules acceptable sites in Franciacorta; slopes with well drained soils are flavoured and sites above 550m altitude are also excluded as the grapes would struggle to ripen sufficiently.
- High density planting. The use of pergolas and other big vine trellising techniques are not permitted for new plantings
- Irrigation is only permitted in extreme conditions
- Maximum yield is 10 tonnes/ hectare
- Grapes must reach a potential alcohol of 9.5% abv
- Only hand harvesting is permitted
Grape Varieties- Franciacorta
Pinot Nero, Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco.
Percentages vary depending on the style of wine being made. Pinot Nero and Chardonnay are seen to be higher quality than Pinot Bianco.
Winery- Franciacorta
The wine must be made using the traditional method.
- Juice yield 65L/ 100kg
- Oak use is permitted during primary fermentation
- Producers can take extra juice as reserve wine in good years must be held for at least 12 months before it can be used for future blends
- Minimum lees going to 18 months (Rose, Saten, Millesimal and Reserve wines have longer ageing requirements)
Wines are predominately made in a dry style. Only the standard white and rose can be made in a full range of Bruto Natural (zero dosage) to Demi- Sec styles.
Important Labelling Terms- Franciacorta
Franciacorta does not have to display DOCG on the label. Only 10 EU wines, including Champagne have been awarded this dispensation.
Millesimato (vintage)
Saten (Blanc de Blancs- must be less than 5 atm)
Riserva (extra maturation)
Important Trade Structures- Franciacorta
Franciacorta is a region of small producers. There are approximately 104 producers. One producer is responsible for a quarter of annual production.
Spumante
Italian word for sparkling wine from the verb spumare, to foam or froth, which can appear on labels as Vino Spumante, Vino Spumante di Qualità, or Vino Spumante di Qualità followed by a denomination of origin. It is allowed only for wines made sparkling by a second fermentation, either in bottle (metodo classico) or by the tank method (see sparkling winemaking). The most important example in terms of volume is prosecco, of which 300 million bottles were produced in 2013. Second best-selling is asti made from the moscato Bianco grape cultivated in the provinces of Asti, Cuneo, and Alessandria, of which over 80 million bottles may be made in an average year. Significant quantities of sparkling wines from chardonnay and pinot noir, the classic grapes of champagne, are also produced in Italy, principally from three areas: the trentino-alto adige, the oltrepò pavese, and franciacorta. The Italians, unlike the Champagne houses, regularly employ pinot blanc and pinot gris in their blends. Some of these wines are produced using the tank method, but the majority are fermented in bottle like champagne and are labelled ‘metodo classico’. TrentoDOC is the name adopted for traditional method sparkling wines made in trentino and the only other Italian fizz to have eliminated the word spumante from labels, is franciacorta whose DOCG applies only to sparkling wine, thus emulating champagne with which it is often compared. A vast number of other types of sparkling wine are made in Italy from a wide range of grape varieties, in a dazzling array of colours, alcoholic strengths, and residual sugar levels. Inspired by the extraordinary commercial success of Prosecco, almost every DOC now has a provision for the production of sparkling wine. Some of the more significant white spumantes are from Bianco di custoza, Colli Albani, Colli Euganei, Colli piacentini, colli Tortonesi, cortese dell’Alto Monferrato, frascati, gavi, greco di tufo, Locorotondo, Marino, Roero arneis, trebbiano di Romagna, Velletri, and verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. Red sparkling wines are permitted within the aglianico, brachetto, Cesanese di Olevano Romano, Elba Rosso, freisa, and lison-pramaggiore (from merlot, cabernet, or refosco) DOCs. Several famous sweet wines, such as the three major reciotos, may be produced in sparkling versions, too. In addition to these there are myriad more basic sparkling wines. One can conclude that Italians simply like carbon dioxide in their wine and do not, unlike the French perhaps, require that it resembles a single paradigm
