Let’s be Franciacorta about sparkling

Any conversation about high quality sparkling wine eventually brings up Champagne at some point.

Is this wine as good as Champagne? Does it illicit the same emotion when you see the label or pop the cork? A standard that can only ever really be met by Champagne itself. They have protected their brand and quality with stringent laws and promote that brand with vigour as it cannot be imitated.

It would therefore seem odd that any region would pin its hopes on emulating Champagne while trying to build its own unique brand.

Franciacorta in Italy’s north-west would appear to be doing just that. Since its first steps in the 1960s through until it was established as a DOCG (Italy’s most stringent quality designation for a wine region), it has been modelling itself on Champagne.

Limits on vine planting density, and yields are similar, the standards for production are by and large the same; both regions require a secondary fermentation to occur in bottle (aka Traditional method or Methode Champenoise).

A Non-Vintage Champagne is required to spend 15 months on lees, whilst Franciacorta requires 18 months. Vintage Champagne requires 36 months on lees and Franciacorta 30 months. They share commonality in the grape varieties planted; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc being the principal varieties in Franciacorta and three of seven permitted in Champagne.

The voices of notable wine writers around the world have lamented the fact that Franciacorta has taken this path of emulating another region rather than defining their own. The climates are different, as is the geography of the region, and surely, they have their own indigenous grape varieties to resurrect and define their region. These are valid critiques in terms of the long-term reputation of the region and its wines, but the traditional method of production used in Champagne is only a method, the best found to date for high quality sparkling wine production. The Producers in Franciacorta are putting it to great effect, possibly better than any other region in the world that is still trying to out-champagne, champagne, and for you, the wine drinker that is all that matters right now.

These are sparkling wines as good as you will find anywhere in the world, and likely at prices less than their equivalents from other regions.

Berlucchi ‘61’ Franciacorta – $48
Berlucchi may lay claim to the first Franciacorta, labelling one of their sparkling wines Pinot Franciacorta in the 1960’s before the region gained its designation as a DOC or DOCG. Of course, now the region uses this term as it is the name of the area, but they remain a high-quality producer, now focused on sparkling production. This is a style for those who look for Brioche, yeasty and creamy characters in their sparkling wines. There is enough lively citrus zest, apple, stone fruit and subtle spice to keep it balanced, but it is undoubtedly a seductive style of sparkling wine.