Franciacorta

The hills south of Lake Iseo sit on moraine left by the glacier that carved the lake basin, giving stony well-drained soil. Sparkling wine has been made here commercially only since 1961, when a young oenologist produced a bottle-fermented wine from Pinot and Chardonnay; the zone received DOCG status in 1995, and the name Franciacorta now denotes the place, the method and the wine together, without needing the word spumante. Satèn is a local style, made only from white grapes at lower pressure. The name may derive from medieval tax-exempt monastic holdings, curtes francae.

History

The name first appears in 1277 and comes from the corti franche, medieval villages exempt from taxes and levies. The area has been lived in since the Palaeolithic, with remains left by the Cenomani of Brixia, the Romans and the Lombards (Wikipedia, Franciacorta).

What you'll find

• The moraine hills - stony ground left by the glacier that cut Lake Iseo.
• The bottle fermentation - a method established here only since 1961.
• The Satèn style - a softer white-grape wine at lower pressure.
• The cellars - producers open for booked visits across the zone.

When to go

April to October; the Festival Franciacorta opens cellars over two weekends in September, during harvest. Individual visits need booking at other times.

Things to know

Cellar visits require advance booking and many producers are closed to walk-ins. The area is dispersed and needs a car, which conflicts with tasting.

Nearby

Lake Iseo lies north; Brescia is east.

Key facts