The UK has an unquenchable thirst for Italian bubbles. British drinkers guzzled a third of all the Prosecco produced last year – that’s forty million litres of the stuff. Prosecco has become the go-to drink at every event imaginable, from book launches to mid-morning maternity meet-ups (my NCT group’s ‘Fizz Fridays’ helped start the weekends off with a bang). And while it might have become the acceptable face of British binge-drinking, too much of a good thing can’t help but take the shine off. If you drink something that often, what do you reach for when the time comes to toast a real celebration? Enter Franciacorta: Italy’s answer to Champagne.
Franciacorta is a sparkling wine from the Province of Brescia with DOCG status. It was first referenced using the variant name Franzacurta in the Eighth Book of Brescia in 1277 and wines have been produced in the area for centuries. The name Franciacorta wasn’t used until 1958 when Guido Berlucchi created a still white wine called Pinot di Franciacorta and the first sparkling Franciacorta in 1961. By 1967, the wines (both still and sparkling) were given DOC status, but it was as recently as 1995 that the sparkling wines of Franciacorta were awarded the prestigious DOCG status. Franciacorta might be a very young wine appellation, especially by Italian standards, but it has serious calibre. Its youth belies its maturity and elegance; Franciacorta is a truly premium sparkling wine.
Like its more famous French rival, Franciacorta is made using the Méthode Champenoise, or ‘Traditional Method’, in which the second fermentation takes place in the bottle. This gives the wine more yeast contact, resulting in a drier wine with biscuity, brioche notes and a long finish. Prosecco, on the other hand, uses the Charmat or Martinotti method, in which the second fermentation for carbonation takes place in large pressurised stainless steel tanks. This method is cheaper and faster, and production can be done on a much larger scale. The results are fruity and clean, but lack the complexity of the wines produced using the Traditional Method.