Italy - Franciacorta

Question 1

Location

Answer 1

• wine region in the hills immediately east of Brescia

- region within Lombardia

Question 2

Climate

Answer 2

• warm days and cool evening in the summer, moderated due to the nearby Lake Iseo

Question 3

Grapes

Answer 3

• CH (most predominant variety giving backbone)
• PN (pinot nero)
• Pinot Bianco (up to 50%) (declining)

Question 4

Viticulture

Answer 4

• minimum vine density of 3300 vines / ha
• tendone and geneva double curtain training systems were forbidden
• max yields of 65 hl/ha
• fractional pressing
• slopes with well drained soils are favored
• sites above 550m excluded (grapes struggle to ripen)
• irrigation only permitted in extreme cases
• max yields at 10 ton / ha
• potential alc of 9.5
• only hand harvesting

Question 5

Vinification

Answer 5

• wines must undergo lees ageing min of 18 months for NV and 30 months for Vintage and 60 months for Reserva
• Saten designation is for blanc de blancs that have spent at least 24 months on lees
• Liquer de tirage and wine pressure is lower for regular Franciacorta
• one contrast to Champagne is zero dosage works well every year thanks to warm days and cool evening in the summer, moderated due to the nearby Lake Iseo
• oak use is permitted during primary fermentation
• can use extra juice as reserve wine in good years but must be held for 12 months before it can be used

Question 6

Labelling terms

Answer 6

• does not have to display DOCG
• Millesimato (vintage)
• Saten (blanc de blanc at less than 5atm)
• Riserva (extra maturation 60 months)

Question 7

Trade structures

Answer 7

• Consorzio
• large players co-exist with smaller more artisinal producers often focusing on organic and biodynamic viticulture
• 104 producers
• 5 March 1990 in Corte Franca to guarantee and monitor compliance with the rules for producing Franciacorta wine. The name of the geographic region where its Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc vines are grown is used to identify this wine, which is produced exclusively by the method of secondary fermentation in the bottle. In one word, Franciacorta describes an area, a production method and a wine.
• Consorzio Franciacorta has about 200 members including wine growers, wine producers, bottlers and others involved in the production chain for the designations

Question 8

Franciacorta

Answer 8

• only traditional method sparkling wine in Italy

- modeled itself closely after Champagne

Question 9

Market / Production

Answer 9

• First bottle released n 1961 by Guido Berlucchi
• 21 million bottles of sparkling produced in 2011
• quality of the wines is generally high with ageing potential

Question 10

Soil

Answer 10

• mineral rich gravels and limestone predominate