The other Italian sparkler – Franciacorta

Bravo the marketing guys, who have done as good a job or better than ‘Les francais adorent le Piat d’Or’ – a slogan to sell a rather innocuous French red to the English. In fact, most French people had never even heard of Piat d’Or, let alone drink it, as it was a brand principally for the UK. Prosecco has a much broader appeal, if appeal it is, and does I suppose fit a niche in the sparkling wine portfolio of products.

You may perhaps have noticed from the above that I am not one of Prosecco’s Number One fans. Give me a Traditional Method sparkling wine from almost anywhere and I will be happy and probably enjoy it. I will at least look on it favourably in terms of quality and character, albeit, as with all things, some are better than others. Prosecco is made by the secondary fermentation (the one that makes the bubbles) in a vast pressurised tank, with the resultant fizz then filtered and bottled under pressure.

Traditional Method has the secondary fermentation in individual bottles and thus there is a varying degree of contact with the lees, or spent yeasts, giving far more character, flavour, depth, interest and complexity. All Cava from Spain is made in this way, most English sparkling, all Crémant from France, and of course, Champagne. There are also sparkling wines from Italy which are made by the Traditional Method, the vast majority of which are first class.

Such are the wines from Franciacorta, a vineyard region in the North of Italy close to Lake Iseo. Personally, I regard this as Italy’s ‘champagne’ region, with some excellent sparklers being made here, with prices which compete favourably with champagnes at the same quality level. Understandably more expensive than prosecco, there is an enormous uplift in quality and they are worth every penny – or euro!

Located in the Italian region of Lombardy, the mineral rich soils are of glacial origin and the grape varieties are mainly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc. A relatively small region there are only just over 120 wineries in Franciacorta and only about 15% of total production is exported, resulting in a low profile outside Italy, where it is much revered. Sustainability is taken very seriously in this region and an impressive 60% of Franciacorta vineyards are organic.

Another similarity to champagne production is that ageing on the lees has to be for a minimum of 18 months, resulting in added complexity and depth of flavour. The Wine Society stocks two brilliant examples of Franciacorta, both coming in at under £20 a bottle. Franciacorta Brut Terre d’Aenor comes from a relatively new winery producing around 300,000 bottles per year, run by a dynamic entrepreneurial woman - Eleonora Bianchi. 100% organic methods are used both in the 100 acres of vineyards and in the winery. Women always seem to do the right thing!

This is a fruitier style of Franciacorta, with white flower aromas, green apple and William’s pears on the palate and a fresh, crisp, refreshing acidity. Lively, with a fine, persistent mousse and satisfying finish. Ferghettina Franciacorta Brut has stone-fruit flavours, with brioche and toast on the nose, good structure from Chardonnay and fruit aromas from Pinot Noir. Absolutely first-class Italian fizz, with complexity and elegance. Forget Prosecco – drink Franciacorta!