A Taste of Franciacorta with Ca' Del Bosco

Sometimes I attend wine tastings and select my favorite wines to share and I completely forget to get to all of them to share with my readers.  Today is the perfect opportunity to share one from the Franciacorta DOCG since our Italian Food, Wine and Travel group (#ItalianFWT) this month is featuring Lombardy wines hosted by Jeff at FoodWineClick.   

The Region ~ Franciacorta 

The Franciacorta sub-region is located in the Lombardy region of northern Italy within the province of Brescia.  Franciacorta is one the most prestigious, if not the most prestigious, producers of sparkling wines in Italy.  The name stems from the Latin word, franchae curtes, meaning the properties that were free from tax during the Middle Ages.  This area is located nearby to Lake Iseo in the south along with the rivers, Oglio and Mella.  The soil there is morainic from ancient glaciers resulting in mineral rich soil.  The area is protected from the cold north by the Alps and moderated by Lake Iseo.   

Franciacorta was originally awarded a DOC in 1967 until it was further elevated to DOCG status in 1995.  The red and white wines that originally fell under the Franciacorta DOC changed names to the CurtaFranca DOC to be segregated from the Franciacorta name that was now to be associated with sparkling wines.   

Franciacorta region, copyright of Ca' del Bosco

The Winery ~ Ca’ del Bosco 

At the tasting I had the opportunity to hear from the owner of Ca’ del Bosco, Maurizio Zanella.   Maurizio’s mother, AnnaMaria Clementi, founded the winery in 1969 when she moved to Erbusco.  She purchased a small house, named “Ca’ del Bosc”, on about 5 acres of land in an area surrounded by woods.  The name is probably derived from the Italian word, bosca, meaning forest.  At least I can feel like my years of Italian language studying have paid off.  The vineyards were first planted when she bought the estate and maintained by Antonio Gandossi from the very beginning until his passing in 2011.   

Maurizio at a young age was inspired by the environment surrounding him along with a trip that he took to the Champagne wine region.  His “quest for excellence” is demonstrated in the wines he produces today.  They have been certified organic since 2014 and are always striving to produce the highest quality with respect for the land.  In 2004 Ca’ del Bosco patented a new bottling line and “zero oxygen” degorging lines that removes the oxidative stress from the wine production and requires less of a need for added sulfites.   

The Wine 

Maurizio presented at the tasting their 2008 Ca’ del Bosco Cuvee Annamaria Clementi Franciacorta Riserva DOCG.  Quite the privledge to taste this beauty if you ask me.  The wine is named after his mother, Annamaria.  It is comprised of 55% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Bianco and 20% Pinot Nero grapes.  They select only the best grapes from their cru vineyards and only in the best vintages.  This is the best of the best!   

The 2008 vintage was the first vintage made without added dosage.  Ca’ del Bosco has been producing the Annamaria Clementi wines since 1989.  The grapes are harvested, chilled and grapes are selected out before they go into soaking vats.  They are then crushed with fermentation taking place in small oak casks.  The wine is aged in oak for 6 months with 6 months on the lees plus 9 years in the bottle.  Yes, you read that right, 9 years!  Riserva wines under the Franciacorta DOCG require at least 60 months of aging. 

The2008 Ca’ del Bosco Annamaria Clementi Franciacrota Riserva was quite layered with much depth and structure.  Stone fruits were present on the nose with yeasty aromas.  Real nice green apple fruit on the palate with a creamy texture, probably due to the lees.  Persistent bubbles with minerality showing up on the finish.  ABV 12.5% SRP $100  

Copyright of Ca' del Bosco, but doesn't capture the 2008 vintage I tasted

Ca’ del Bosco is one of the mostly highly awarded winners of the Tre Bicchieri in Italy with over 40 awards.  Don’t just take it from me, experience for yourself not only Ca’ del Bosco, but the wines of the Franciacorta.  If you’re a Champagne lover or lover of sparkling wines  you will be in for quite the treat.   

Join my fellow Italian wine and food lovers as they take you the Lombardia wine region.  Please join us live for a Twitter chat this Saturday @ 11am EST at #ItalianFWT. 

• A Tour of Wines of Lombardia and Toasting to Lugana by Joy of Wine
• Franciacorta is Lombardia's Challenge to Champagne by Food Wine Click!
• Getting to know Oltrepo' Pavese Wines from Lombardy by Avvinare
• Hot Summer Nights and Northern Italian White and Our Favorite Antipasto Platter by Our Good Life
• Indestructible in Valtellina - Barbacan and the Sega Family by Savor the Harvest
• Italy’s Large, Lovely Lombardia, Home to Lugana and Lambrusco by Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley
• Pici Alla Crema di Limone + Costaripa Valtenesi Chiaretto Rosamara 2019 by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Uccellini-Scappati and a Nebbiolo from Lombardy by A Day in the Life on the Farm

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The first organic Franciacorta winery, Barone Pizzini

I'm honored monthly to be invited by Snooth to share a wine based on each month's theme. I'm joined by a very talented group of wine bloggers, sommeliers, writers and connoisseurs. The theme for December was a Holiday Sparkling Bottle Pick List.

When I think of sparkling wine in Italy I immediately gravitate toward Lombardy or the Veneto with prosecco. I've written about Lombardy in the past including a couple articles on Franciacorta. I've tried some prosecco recently that I'll be sharing in an upcoming article, but my selection for Snooth's list was the Barone Pizzini Franciacorta Brut Animante NV (non vintage). 

Franciacorta by Takashi Yamaoku

Franciacorta is located along the shores of Lago Iseo. What makes the sparkling wines of Franciacorta so unique? The sparkling wines here are made in the classic method, or metodo classico. This is the same way in which Champagne is produced. Franciacorta became a DOCG in 1995 and at that point was separated from the still wines labeled under the Terre di Franciacorta DOC. The primary grapes used in producing a Franciacorta are chardonnay, pinot bianco and pinot nero. The difference between this non-vintage and the vintage wines of Franciacorta is that non-vintage must be aged at least 18 months where vintage wines are aged a minimum of 30 months.

Barone Pizzini's winery was established in 1870, but released it's first bottle of Franciacorta in 1971. According to Barone Pizzini, the “Animante was created to commemorate a long and pioneering journey that honors Barone Pizzini's leadership in the organic evolution of Franciacorta”. They are the “first organic grower and winemaker in Franciacorta”. Animante stems from the word anima, meaning soul, that represents the winery's respect for winemaking and the land in which these wines are produced. The Barone Pizzini Animante is produced from 25 vineyards all delivering a variety of different characteristics that are blended together to produce a wine that shows the “soul” of the land. It's comprised of 78% chardonnay, 18% pinot nero and 4% pinot bianco.

You can see my full review on the Barrone Pizzini Franciacorta Brut Animante on the Snooth site for Holiday Sparkling Bottle Pick List.

Have you tried the sparkling wines of Franciacorta?

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Sparkling Wines: Charmat vs. Metodo Classico Method

It's Memorial Day weekend and is a perfect time to celebrate the warm weather that is upon us or if you're me you're less than 5 weeks to delivering your first born. All perfect reasons to celebrate with some sparkling wine (like we need one!)


If you're a lover of Italian sparkling wine you may or may not be familiar with the differences in some of the different varieties of sparkling wines produced throughout Italy. We're going to learn today why some of these differences exist. It's mainly because there are two styles of producing sparkling Italian wines: the charmat method and the metodo classico.

Photo by Bill Masson

The Charmat Method
The charmat method was created back in 1895 by a gentleman, Federico Martinotti, an enologist from the town of Asti in Piedmont, Italy. It was then adjusted in 1907 by Eugene Charmat, hence the Charmat method. With the Charmat method the secondary fermentation that is normally done in the bottle is done in large stainless steel tanks. This allows for higher production quantity and is a cheaper style of sparkling wine production. The charmat method produces sparkling wines that are more aromatic.

Examples of Charmat wines

Examples of sparkling wines produced in Italy with the charmat method are lambrusco of emilia romagna, prosecco of the Veneto, and Asti of Piedmont.

Metodo Classico

The sparkling wines made from the champenoise method are typically more complex. During this process the secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle as mentioned earlier with additional yeasts and sugar added. Those yeasts take the sugar and convert them over to acohol and carbon dioxide, the bubbles! Following that the wine will age on the dead yeast cells known as the lees for 24 months.

Examples of Metodo Classico

Some examples of Italian sparkling wines made in Italy with the metodo classico are from the Franciacorta D.O.C.G and those of the Oltrepo Pavese Metodo Classico D.O.C.G and Oltrepo Pavese Pinot Nero Metodo Classico D.O.C.G from Lombardia Lastly, the sparkling wines from the Trento D.O.C in the Trentino Alto Adige region also produce the metodo classico. Most of these wines are made with variations of chardonnay, pinot nero and pinot bianco.

One of the biggest differences, other than the taste and complexity of these two methods, is the consistency of the bubbles, or bollicini. Since the process of a classic method takes a long time you tend to get smaller, more consistent bubbles where those of the charmat method are bigger bubbles.

What are some of your Italian sparkling favorites? 
 

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Wine day trips from Bergamo to Franciacorta

Once a year, my family gathers to spend some quality summer time together up at my parent's house on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. I always enjoy talking to my father's first cousin, who is originally from Bergamo, Italy. Bergamo is located in the region of Lombardy, or Lombardia, which is a major industrial region and a financial powerhouse. It's a shame she hasn't been able to visit since she was a child. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to provide a suggestion for a perfect day trip from Bergamo to a major wine destination for the region, Franciacorta. If you are a sparkling wine lover, you won't want to miss it.

Bergamo by Jose A.

The city of Bergamo consists of two parts, an upper and lower level, known as the Alta Citta e Bassa Citta, respectively. These different levels of the city are connected by a funicular, funicolare, and there are also walking trails to get from one point to another. Bergamo is a city known for its medieval art, and you can find many of the main sites located on the upper level. There you will find the Piazza Vecchia, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and the Duomo di Bergamo e Battistero. For art lovers there is also the Carrara Academy Gallery. The lower level of Bergamo features mostly residences.

Alta Citta of Bergamo by David Spender

Those looking to escape outside the city for the day for great food and wine should consider Lake Iseo, Lago Iseo, that is home to one of the top sparkling wines in all of Italy, Franciacorta. It's situated at the base of the glacially formed lakes that sit on the morainic axis. These stones and minerals impart one of the most common characteristics of Franciacorta wines -- minerality. The climate of this region is mitigated by Lake Iseo and others. 

Lago Iseo by Franco Folini

The primary grapes that make up a Franciacorta wine are pinot noir, chardonnay, and pinot bianco. There is a saten version that only consists of chardonnay and pinot bianco like a blanc-de-blanc in France. There are vintage and non-vintage Franciacorta, and which one you select determines the percentage of grapes used and the length of aging. Vintage Franciacorta require 30 months of aging with at least 85 percent of the grapes coming from that particular vintage. The non-vintage Franciacorta require 18 months of aging with a blend of vintages allowed. A reserve Franciacorta is actually aged for 60 months.

Franciacorta by Daniele Pieroni

How does Franciacorta compare to Champagne? It is produced in the same classic champenoise method, but is much more reasonably priced and a creamier style of sparkling wine.  The only issue is it's not as easily accessible here in the states as much of it is kept within Italy.

One of the original producers of this region that should be on your list to visit is Berlucchi winery, but there are over 70 wineries in Franciacorta to check out. 

If you're looking for somewhere to base yourself out of in Bergamo, I was recently asked to write an article on the Winter Garden Hotel for Hipmunk that would be worth seeking out. If you've visited this region, what were your favorite places to visit and sights to see?

This article is associated with #Hipmunkcitylove.

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The "Champagne" of Italy with Berlucchi & Franciacorta

I'm not a huge fan of sparkling wines myself, but I'll still always try them as I will give anything a chance. The reason I don't care for them more is because of the carbon dioxide. I tend to enjoy wines that have softer bubbles. If you are a lover of sparkling wines and in particular champagne than this article is for you. 

Berlucchi headquarters

The Lombardy region of Italy located in the north central part of Italy, bordering Switzerland to the north, is known for it's sparkling wines. Two areas of Lombardy are known for their sparkling wines including the Oltrepo Pavese and the Franciacorta areas. Two out of 5 DOCG designations of this wine region in Lombardy are from these areas including the Franciacorta DOCG and the Oltrepo Pavese Metodo Classico “classic method”. 

According to Wikipedia, Franciacorta DOCG is the only DOCG allowed to not list DOCG on the label at the wineries discretion, so if you don't see it doesn't mean it's not a DOCG. This area is located along Lake Iseo where the soils are morainic, providing good drainage that helps add minerality to the wines of this area.

Azelles vineyard at Berlucchi winery

Today I'm sharing with you a '61 Franciacorta Brut from a producer you must know, Berlucchi. This winery and the parnership between Guido Berlucchi and winemaker, Franco Ziliani, is what drew the world to recognize Italy as becoming a competitor in the world of wines when it comes to sparkling wines. The Berlucchi winery first released what was then known as Pinot di Franciacorta in 1961. What's unique about the sparkling wines of Franciacorta is the method in which they are produced. They are produced using the famous Champagne method known as Methode Champenoise or in Italian as Metodo Classico. 

Ziliani family

The Berlucchi '61 Franciacorta Brut is made up of 90% chardonnay and 10% pinot noir. It's crystal clear and a golden yellow. On the nose it was florally with notes of honeysuckle along with some minerality and yeast. On the palate it was dry and medium bodied with a creamy effervescense with a golden apple finish. Perfect celebration wine! Wine-searcher.com lists the average price as $19.

Chardonnay grape clusters

Riddling the Franciacorta, known as pupitres

Fun fact: According to Berlucchi's site, after 50 years of history the Berlucchi winery was granted an official Italian postage stamp displaying it's impact on the “Made in Italy” mentality.

The wines of Franciacorta are sure to rival those of France and Champagne so the next time you are considering a bottle of bubbly consider Lombardy and better yet, Franciacorta. 

Most pictures compliments of the Berlucchi winery.

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