Franciacorta! Ever heard of it? Franciacorta is a sparkling
wine from the Province of Brescia (Lombardy) with DOCG status, located on the
hills located between the southern shore of Lake Iseo and the city of Brescia.
Where’s that? Italy. The top of the boot in the center; in
between Piedmont and The Tre Venezie.
If you’re drinking a bubbly from Italy, there is a very
strong chance that bubbly is Prosecco, but did you know that there’s another
bubbly called Franciacorta, and has more like Champagne than Prosecco?
Honest! And it’s growing in popularity.
The still wines from Franciacorta have ancient traditions
and documented in Brescia City council books as "Franzacurta" as far
back as in 1277. The Middle Ages! But the sparkling wines are new and only been
made since 1961. Prosecco as we know has been around for hundreds.
The difference between Prosecco and Franciacorta is the way
each of the wines is made.
In the case of Prosecco, is made using what is known as the
Charmat method. It’s a faster and cheaper way to create quality sparkling wine.
In this method, the wine is transferred from its first fermentation vat to a
large sealed pressurized tank where it undergoes secondary fermentation to
create the carbonation. Then the carbonated wine is bottled and shipped to
market. The result is a wine that is bubbly with delicious hints of fruit and
freshness.
Franciacorta, on the other hand, is made the exact same way
winemakers in France make Champagne.
The Method Champenoise or the Traditional Method,
Franciacorta receives its bubbles by allowing a secondary fermentation to occur
in the bottle. During this fermentation the CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) that’s created
is absorbed into the wine, it does not escape and creates the bubbles we’ve
come to love in Champagne. This process also usually means the wine is drier
with a yeastier and less fruity character than Prosecco. This process of “sur
lie” aging is what many say makes wines made in this method more complex.
Furthermore, there is another major distinct difference
between Prosecco and Franciacorta. It’s the grapes used to make each of the
wines. In Prosecco the grape is Glera, a white grape that has been grown in the
Veneto and Friuli regions for hundreds of years. It’s a grape with high
acidity, which makes it perfect for bubbly.
Franciacorta uses Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc, which
are the grapes also used to make Champagne. Just like Champagne... Franciacorta —
it’s the name of the wine and the name of the region where it’s made Just like Champagne... it's a
warmer region than the chilly Champagne region, so the grapes are riper and fuller,
which results in a wine that is not as racy and/or have the minerality that the Champagne
region does. It’s a rounder profile but with the the designations for dosage exactly like those in Champagne.
Do the differences really matter? Only if you try them and enjoy
how one, or both, taste.
Seek it out.
