The Franciacorta wines

Franciacorta is a locally produced wine known throughout the world, the ‘Wine from Brescia’ par excellence with DOCG (Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin) status.

Made in the renowned cellars of Franciacorta, this wine is protected by the special Consortiumestablished in 1990 to ensure and monitor compliance with procedural guideline. But how many types of Franciacorta wine exist? And what are their recommended pairings?

The types of Franciacorta wine

There are 3 types of Franciacorta wine:

• Franciacorta
• Franciacorta Satèn
• Franciacorta Rosé

They differ in the type and percentage of grapes used (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Erbamat), the maturation time, and the pressure in the bottle. Franciacorta and Franciacorta Satèn are available in Pas Dosé, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec or Dry, Demi-Sec dosages, while Franciacorta Satèn is Brut only.

These 3 types of wine gain in personality, refinement, and complexity with longer periods of maturation and aging: hence we have the Franciacorta Millesimato and the Franciacorta Riserva. For detailed information on the blend, characteristics, flavor notes and dosages of Franciacorta visit the dedicated page on the official website.

Among the other wines produced in the Franciacorta area, special mention should be made of the Curtefranca DOC, available in white, white Vigna, red, red Vigna, and the IGT Sebino, which has the broadest interpretation and includes fresh wines up to particularly important wines.

The classic method

Franciacorta is produced using the metodo classico (traditional method), with hand harvesting and grapes picked in boxes, soft pressing of whole bunches, first fermentation of free-run juice, bottling and tirage, with the addition of sugar and selected yeast.

A second fermentation in the bottle gives the wine its pressure. This is followed by aging (from 18 to over 60 months), remuage, refrigeration, disgorgement, liqueur d’expedition, and DOCG marking.

Franciacorta wine: what are the best pairings?

What are the suggested pairings for each type of Franciacorta? Let’s find out all the details.

The pairings of Franciacorta

Franciacorta is especially appreciated as it is an ideal wine for the whole meal, from first courses to main courses, from aperitifs to desserts. Thanks to its very high quality, Franciacorta is often paired with high quality food, a growing sector in the Franciacorta areas, that is increasingly focused on extraordinary taste, sight and smell combinations.

Here are some pairings of Franciacorta depending on the type of taste due to the dosage:

• No dosage: beef in oil (typical dish from Rovato), fish, vegetable and cheese appetizers, cutlets from Lake Iseo and perch;
• No dosage Millesimato (vintage): beef in oil, mushroom risotto;
• No dosage Riserva: beef in oil, roast veal with baked potatoes;
• Extra Brut: tagliatelle with lake ragout, stuffed eel recipe of Clusone, cotechino, zampone;
• Extra Brut Millesimato: tagliatelle with asparagus and ‘formaggella’ (local cheese);
• Extra Brut Riserva: whitefish with polenta, casoncelli (chests of fresh pasta with meat stuffing) with butter and sage;
• Brut: aperitif, polenta with Bagòss (typical cheese from Bagolino), stuffed tench ravioli, pasta dishes with white meat ragout;
• Extra Dry: spaghetti with clams, fried fish;
• Sec or Dry: rose cake, robiola cheese with walnuts;
• Demi-Sec: Bossolà (typical Brescian dessert of the Christmas season), sbrisolona cake, slightly spicy cheeses.

The pairings of Franciacorta Satèn

Franciacorta Satèn with Brut dosage is a wine with a straw-yellow color, even intense, with greenish reflections.

It has a shaded but definite ripe fruit aroma, and pairs well with dishes such as asparagus and radicchio risotto, sushi, roast chicken with crispy vegetables, fish and white meat appetizers and entrees, vegetable flans, tender shellfish, Italian-style fried food, Parma and San Daniele prosciutto crudo, and cheeses that are not too aged. It is also excellent as an aperitif.

The pairings of Franciacorta Rosé

Franciacorta Rosé is fine and delicate on the nose, with hints of wild strawberries.

In the No-dosage, Extra Brut, Brut variants it pairs best with white rice and shrimp, butterply pasta with pesto, squid stew, while the Extra Dry, Sec or Dry, Demi-Sec type is perfect for pastries such as berry tart, strawberry cheese cake, biscuit-based desserts.

Get to know Franciacorta: visit to wineries

In addition to food, a great way to get closer to Franciacorta and discover its secrets is to visit winery cellars. How and where?

Most wineries offer openings to the public, themed tours, degustations and tastings with qualified sommeliers, all year round or during special periods. There’s no better opportunity to taste by expert hands the extraordinary flavor of Franciacorta.

For information and reservations, see the list of wineries, use the filters to narrow your search according to your preferences, and contact the cellar that best suits you.

Other food and wine experiences

Want to learn about other experiences offered by local wineries and farmers? Choose the ones that suit you best!