Franciacorta

Franciacorta – origin, wine and method in a single name

Franciacorta needs no translation. The name denotes a landscape south of Lake Iseo in Lombardy, the wine produced there and, at the same time, a method inseparably linked to its origin: natural second fermentation in the bottle.

The regulations go unusually far. The additional designation DOCG is optional on the label; terms such as "Metodo Classico", "Metodo Tradizionale" or "vino spumante" may not even be used to identify a Franciacorta. The name itself is intended to be enough.

References to municipalities, districts, zones, localities or individual vineyards are likewise prohibited on the label; the exception is for place names that form part of the name of a producing estate. Origin in Franciacorta is therefore not differentiated through vineyard names on the bottle. This makes the cuvée all the more important – the selection and combination of base wines from different soils and mesoclimates.

At its core, the disciplinare distinguishes three types: Franciacorta, Franciacorta Satèn and Franciacorta Rosé. Millesimato and Riserva add information about vintage and ageing. What they share is bottle fermentation, hand harvesting and a prescribed period of ageing on the lees.

• Franciacorta is a DOCG in Lombardy, south of Lake Iseo
• the second fermentation takes place exclusively in the bottle
• the grapes must be harvested by hand
• Chardonnay and Pinot Nero form the backbone of the denomination
• Pinot Bianco and, to a lesser extent, Erbamat are also permitted
• depending on type and ageing designation, at least 18, 24, 30 or 60 months on the lees are required

Between Lake Iseo and Monte Orfano – a landscape left by the glacier

Franciacorta lies between the southern shore of Lake Iseo, the Oglio River, Brescia and Monte Orfano. The DOCG covers all or part of 19 municipalities in the province of Brescia. The landscape itself was formed long before wine entered the story: during the Ice Ages, a glacier advanced southwards from Val Camonica and shaped a vast moraine amphitheatre.

When the ice retreated, it left not one uniform soil but a mosaic of gravel, sand, silt and moraine deposits of varying depth. A scientific zoning study carried out in the 1990s revealed just how marked these differences are. It identified six so-called Unità Vocazionali: depositi fini, fluvio-glaciale, colluvi distali, morenico profondo, colluvi gradonati and morenico sottile. These are not quality levels, but pedologically and mesoclimatically distinct units whose base wines develop different ripening and flavour profiles.

Lake Iseo acts as a climatic counterweight to the Po Valley. In summer, the lake and air currents from Val Camonica temper the heat; in winter, the water releases stored warmth. The result is a distinct mesoclimate between plain, lake and Alpine foothills.

For sparkling wine, this balance is crucial: the grapes need sufficient ripeness without losing their acidity. Only then does a base wine have the substance to spend months or years on the lees and emerge not merely older, but more interesting.

The name is older than the sparkling wine

Franciacorta may sound French, but the name does not lead to France. It is traced back to the Latin terms "francae" and "curtae" – privileged farms and monastic estates associated with particular freedoms. The form "Franzacurta" already appears in the statutes of Brescia in 1277.

The territorial outline also reaches surprisingly far back. Today's disciplinare refers to an act issued by the Venetian Doge Francesco Foscari in 1429 in which the area was already described and delimited. The modern denomination therefore rests on a historical geography that predates today's sparkling wine by centuries.

Wine, too, has belonged to this landscape for centuries. In 1570, the Brescia physician Girolamo Conforti published his "Libellus de vino mordaci", describing lively, sparkling wines from the area. The connection between Franciacorta and perlage is therefore older than the modern denomination itself.

The contemporary story nevertheless begins in 1961. The young oenologist Franco Ziliani, together with Guido Berlucchi and Giorgio Lanciani in Borgonato, developed a bottle-fermented sparkling wine. Around 3,000 bottles of "Pinot di Franciacorta" were produced – a small beginning with far-reaching consequences. DOC status followed in 1967, the Consorzio was founded in 1990 and Franciacorta received DOCG status in 1995.

So neither viticulture nor sparkling wine was invented here in 1961. What began then was something else: the modern idea of an origin that would henceforth commit itself consistently to bottle-fermented sparkling wine.

Chardonnay and Pinot Nero – the backbone of Franciacorta

Chardonnay and Pinot Nero carry most of Franciacorta's identity. Chardonnay often brings precision, freshness and clear, bright fruit. Pinot Nero contributes structure, depth and ageing potential. Either may shape a classic Franciacorta on its own or together with the other.

Pinot Bianco may account for up to 50 percent of the blend. Today it plays a smaller role in terms of volume, but it remains firmly part of the denomination's varietal spectrum and is particularly relevant to Satèn.

Erbamat, an old white variety from the province of Brescia, has also returned. It may contribute up to ten percent to classic Franciacorta and Rosé. Its late ripening and pronounced acidity make it an interesting complement without requiring it to dominate aromatically. Erbamat is not permitted in Satèn.

The varietal picture therefore remains refreshingly clear: Chardonnay and Pinot Nero define it, Pinot Bianco broadens it – Erbamat adds a small local accent.

The second fermentation belongs in the bottle

Franciacorta is produced exclusively through natural second fermentation in the bottle. This is not one preferred method among several possibilities, but part of the definition of the origin itself.

Clear rules already apply in the vineyard. The grapes must be harvested by hand; the standard maximum yield is ten tonnes per hectare, with the full yield limit applying only from the fourth year onwards. In climatically favourable years, the region may authorise an additional, separately managed harvest quantity bringing the total to a maximum of twelve tonnes per hectare.

In the cellar, the grapes are generally pressed directly as whole bunches before the individual base wines are assembled into the eventual cuvée.

At tirage, yeast and sugar are added to the base wine, after which the second fermentation begins in the sealed bottle. The carbon dioxide produced remains dissolved in the wine – and with it begins the period of ageing on the lees.

The wine changes slowly during this time. Alongside fruit and acidity, notes of bread crust, brioche, nuts and other mature aromas may emerge; the texture gains depth and the perlage becomes ever more finely integrated. After riddling, the yeast deposit is removed at disgorgement. Only then does the dosage, where used, set the final stylistic accent.

In Franciacorta, the method therefore does not sit alongside the origin. It belongs to it.

18, 24, 30, 60 months – time is written into the rules

Franciacorta does not leave lees ageing solely to the ambition of the producer. The disciplinare sets minimum periods according to type and vintage designation.

• Franciacorta: at least 18 months
• Franciacorta Satèn: at least 24 months
• Franciacorta Rosé: at least 24 months
• Millesimato – including Satèn or Rosé: at least 30 months
• Riserva – including Satèn or Rosé: at least 60 months

Tirage may begin no earlier than 1 February following the harvest from which the youngest base wine in the cuvée originates. From the moment of tirage, the prescribed minimum period on the lees begins to run.

These figures are minimums, not targets. Many leading estates give their wines considerably more time. That is precisely why it is worth looking not only at the category, but also at the producer and the specific cuvée.

More months do not automatically mean greater pleasure. A younger Franciacorta may deliberately aim for freshness, energy and immediate clarity; a long-aged Riserva for depth, maturity and more complex aromas. Time changes the style – it does not replace the quality of the base wine.

Satèn – Franciacorta's quieter side

Satèn is a term that Franciacorta claims for itself. The name already evokes silk – and that is precisely how the wine is intended to move: fine, creamy and less forceful than a classic Franciacorta.

The rules are precise. Chardonnay must account for at least 50 percent, while Pinot Bianco may contribute up to 50 percent. Pinot Nero and Erbamat are not permitted. Pressure in the bottle may not exceed 5 bar.

Satèn spends at least 24 months on the lees. The regulations also leave little room when it comes to sweetness: Satèn may only be marketed as Brut.

Satèn is therefore not a poetic term for an especially soft Franciacorta, but a clearly defined style. Lower pressure, white grape varieties and longer minimum ageing create the supple, refined character that makes it distinctive within the DOCG.

Rosé – Pinot Nero steps forward

In Franciacorta Rosé, Pinot Nero plays a leading role. At least 35 percent is required; Chardonnay may account for up to 65 percent. Pinot Bianco and Erbamat may also form part of the blend within their respective limits.

The colour must already be present before tirage. It is therefore not a later effect, but part of the base wine itself. Pinot Nero contributes far more than a rosé hue: red fruit, structure and a different kind of tension from more Chardonnay-driven cuvées.

The ageing period also distinguishes Rosé from the classic entry level. At least 24 months on the lees are required. Franciacorta Rosé is therefore not merely a colour variation, but a type in its own right.

Millesimato and Riserva – when the vintage gains weight

Millesimato and Riserva are not additional basic types alongside Franciacorta, Satèn and Rosé. They define the wine more precisely through vintage and ageing.

For a Millesimato, at least 85 percent of the cuvée must come from the harvest year stated on the label. The vintage indication is mandatory, and the wine must spend at least 30 months on the lees. The same applies to Millesimato Satèn and Millesimato Rosé.

The reverse rule is equally clear: outside Millesimato and Riserva, the harvest year may not appear on the label. A year on a Franciacorta bottle is therefore not merely information, but also a statement about the category of the wine.

Riserva goes further still. It too is vintage-specific and requires at least 60 months on the lees. Five years are therefore prescribed for this phase alone before the wine may be released as Riserva.

Both terms thus say something very specific. They still do not create an automatic hierarchy of taste. Those looking for freshness and tension may be happier with a younger Brut or Satèn than with a long-aged Riserva.

From Dosaggio Zero to Demi-Sec – dosage defines the style

After disgorgement, dosage can set the final accent. It influences balance, texture and the perception of acidity, fruit and maturity – without turning an ordinary base wine into a great one, or vice versa.

• Dosaggio Zero: up to 3 g/l sugar, with no sugar added in the dosage
• Extra Brut: up to 6 g/l
• Brut: under 12 g/l
• Extra Dry: 12–17 g/l
• Dry: 17–32 g/l
• Demi-Sec: 32–50 g/l

Not every dosage is available to every version. Franciacorta and Rosé may use the broad range; Millesimato stops at Extra Dry, Riserva at Brut. Satèn remains exclusively Brut.

Drier does not automatically mean better. Dosaggio Zero shows the base wine, acidity and structure particularly directly. A finely judged Brut dosage, by contrast, can emphasise balance and depth. The indication on the label is therefore first and foremost information about style.

Five estates – and six decades of Franciacorta

Franciacorta is a young great origin with an unusually dense history. The five estates in our range therefore do more than simply stand side by side – they mark different moments in its development.

At Guido Berlucchi, the modern story begins. Here Franco Ziliani, Guido Berlucchi and Giorgio Lanciani developed the "Pinot di Franciacorta", of which around 3,000 bottles were produced in 1961. What began as an experiment became the starting point for an entire denomination. The number '61 on today's Berlucchi labels is therefore not decorative nostalgia, but a reminder of that beginning.

Ca' del Bosco represents the next generation. Founded in 1968 and inseparably associated with Maurizio Zanella, the estate made research, technical precision and uncompromising selection central to its philosophy. From a house in a chestnut wood grew one of the region's defining wineries – and an important force behind Franciacorta's growing self-confidence.

In 1977, Vittorio Moretti founded Bellavista. The name comes from the hill overlooking Lake Iseo, the plain and the Alps. Bellavista translated this landscape into an ambition for finesse and precision and became one of the estates that helped establish Franciacorta internationally as an origin in its own right.

Antica Fratta connects this young success story with much older cellars. Luigi Rossetti had them carved into the rock of Dosso Angelini in 1850; the estate's modern history began under Franco Ziliani in 1979. One of the men who had helped set modern Franciacorta in motion thus returned to a place whose cellars already carried more than a century of history.

Montenisa | Antinori, meanwhile, shows how firmly established Franciacorta had become. Since 1999, the vineyards around the Maggi family's villa near Calino have formed the heart of Marchesi Antinori's Franciacorta production. One of Italy's most historic wine families found here not a copy of another sparkling-wine region, but an origin that had long since learned to stand on its own.

Five estates, but no ranking. Berlucchi represents the beginning, Ca' del Bosco technical rigour, Bellavista stylistic self-confidence, Antica Fratta the connection between historic cellars and modern Franciacorta, Montenisa the attraction of an origin that came of age within just a few decades.

Buying Franciacorta – choose the style before the hierarchy

With Franciacorta, the longest period on the lees does not automatically lead to the right bottle. A more useful question is: What style am I looking for?

A classic Brut often shows the basic idea of an estate particularly well. Extra Brut and Dosaggio Zero are drier and more direct. Satèn emphasises finesse, creamier perlage and white grape varieties; Rosé brings more Pinot Nero, red fruit and structure into play.

Millesimato puts a particular vintage more clearly in the foreground. Riserva stands for especially long lees ageing and development. Yet this is precisely where the producer matters: 30 or 60 months are legal minimums – not necessarily the end of the story.

Our range focuses on Antica Fratta, Bellavista, Ca' del Bosco, Guido Berlucchi and Montenisa | Antinori – estates that tell very different chapters of Franciacorta. That makes comparing them more rewarding than simply ranking Brut, Millesimato and Riserva.

And while Franciacorta naturally works beautifully as an aperitif, its role does not end there. Acidity, lees ageing, structure and different dosage levels make it a serious companion at the table – from fish and risotto to white meat and mature cheese.

Questions and answers about Franciacorta

What is Franciacorta?

Franciacorta is a protected DOCG for bottle-fermented sparkling wine from Lombardy. The production area lies south of Lake Iseo in the province of Brescia. Second fermentation in the bottle and prescribed lees ageing are part of the definition of the origin.

Where is Franciacorta?

The growing area lies between Lake Iseo, Brescia, the Oglio River and Monte Orfano. The delimited zone covers all or part of 19 municipalities in the province of Brescia.

Which grape varieties are used for Franciacorta?

The principal varieties are Chardonnay and Pinot Nero. In classic Franciacorta, Pinot Bianco is permitted up to a maximum of 50 percent and Erbamat up to a maximum of 10 percent. Satèn follows different rules and is produced exclusively from Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco.

How is Franciacorta made?

Franciacorta is produced exclusively through natural second fermentation in the bottle. After the base wines have been made and blended, tirage takes place. The wine then ferments and matures in the bottle on the lees; after riddling, the yeast deposit is removed at disgorgement.

How long does Franciacorta age on the lees?

A classic Franciacorta must spend at least 18 months on the lees. Satèn and Rosé require at least 24 months, Millesimato 30 months and Riserva 60 months. Many producers exceed these minimum periods.

What does Satèn mean in Franciacorta?

Satèn is a distinct Franciacorta type made from Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco. Pressure may not exceed 5 bar, giving the perlage a particularly supple character. Satèn must spend at least 24 months on the lees and may only be marketed as Brut.

What is Franciacorta Rosé?

Franciacorta Rosé contains at least 35 percent Pinot Nero. Chardonnay may account for up to 65 percent; Pinot Bianco and Erbamat may also be included within their respective limits. At least 24 months on the lees are required.

What does Millesimato mean in Franciacorta?

Millesimato denotes a vintage Franciacorta. At least 85 percent of the cuvée must come from the harvest year stated on the label. A minimum of 30 months on the lees is required.

What does Riserva mean in Franciacorta?

Riserva is vintage-specific and must spend at least 60 months on the lees. The designation may be used for Franciacorta as well as Satèn and Rosé when the respective requirements are met.

What does Dosaggio Zero mean?

Dosaggio Zero denotes a particularly dry Franciacorta with no more than 3 g/l sugar, with no sugar added through the dosage after disgorgement. Acidity, structure and the character of the base wine therefore emerge particularly directly.

Is Franciacorta the same as Champagne?

No. Franciacorta and Champagne are separate protected origins in Italy and France. Both use second fermentation in the bottle, but differ in region, climate, grape varieties and regulations. Franciacorta also has Satèn, a type of its own.

What is the difference between Franciacorta and Prosecco?

Franciacorta is produced exclusively through second fermentation in the bottle and is based primarily on Chardonnay and Pinot Nero. Prosecco is based mainly on Glera and is predominantly produced using the Metodo Martinotti-Charmat in pressurised tanks. Both are protected Italian origins, but they represent different regions, grape varieties and sparkling-wine traditions.

Why do some bottles say only "Franciacorta" and not DOCG?

The additional indication DOCG is optional on a Franciacorta label. The regulations go even further: terms such as "Metodo Classico", "Metodo Tradizionale" or "vino spumante" may not be used to identify the origin. The name Franciacorta stands on its own.

Why does a Franciacorta sometimes show a vintage?

A vintage indication is permitted only for Millesimato and Riserva. In a Millesimato, at least 85 percent of the cuvée must come from the stated harvest year; Riserva is likewise vintage-specific. Outside these categories, the harvest year may not appear on the label.

Is Riserva automatically the best Franciacorta?

No. Riserva signifies a vintage and at least 60 months on the lees, not automatically the style you will personally prefer. An excellent Brut, Satèn or Millesimato may be the more convincing choice depending on taste and occasion.

Which Franciacorta should I buy?

Brut is often a good place to start. Those who prefer a particularly dry style can look to Extra Brut or Dosaggio Zero. Satèn offers finer, creamier perlage, while Rosé brings more Pinot-Nero character. Millesimato puts the vintage more firmly in focus, Riserva the long lees ageing. After that, the producer's signature matters most.

Can I order Franciacorta online?

Yes. At SUPERIORE.DE, you can order Franciacorta online directly from our climate-controlled warehouse. Within Germany, delivery is free on orders of €120 or more.

How is Franciacorta shipped?

Franciacorta is carefully packed in certified shipping cartons designed for glass bottles. Within Germany, insured delivery is handled by DHL.

Franciacorta – an origin that needs no comparison

The temptation is strong to explain Franciacorta through a famous French sparkling wine. Their shared second fermentation in the bottle makes the comparison obvious. But Franciacorta becomes truly interesting precisely where that comparison ends.

The moraine amphitheatre south of Lake Iseo, Chardonnay and Pinot Nero, Satèn, long lees ageing and regulations that bind method and origin so closely together create a wine world of its own.

From around 3,000 bottles in 1961, an origin has emerged within just a few decades whose name no longer needs to explain either its method or its status. One word is enough: Franciacorta. SUPERIORE.DE