A dream of a sparkling wine
Prosecco is the defauls bubbly that comes to mind when it comes to Italian sparkling wine. Italian sparkling wine, nevertheless, is not precisely about Prosecco, exactly as Champagne is not the only French champagne (there are choices such as Cremant d'Alsace or Cremant de Bourgogne).
In the subject of Italian champagne, try Franciacorta, a sparkling wine made in the Lombardy region in northern Italy, the part nearest to Switzerland. Despite the area's long history in wine-making, it was not until 1961 when the first batch of sparkling wine, named Pinot di Franciacorta was re-leased commercially.
This was to mark a turning base for the region. In the next few years, demand escalated by more than 10 times.
With 11 producers of Francaicorta, the region received DOC status in 1967. Lombardy might not have achieved much reputation as a wine production area, oftentimes overshadowed by its more famous neighbours such as Piemonte or Veneto.
Unknown to most, Franciacorta was the first DOC to regulate production of sparkling wine. All sparkling wines made within this region have to be made using the "metodo classico" — the same manner in which Champagne is made. Francaicorta was the only Italian wine not to obliged to declare the DOCG status on its label by 2003, it had become accepted that Franciarcortas are a guaranty of quality.
One of the top producers of Franciacorta is Ca'del Bosco, one of the pioneers for championing the bubbly cause. Franciacorta was a region more known for its firearms than wine when its founder, Maurizio Zanella, started the winery in 1968.
However, his dream was to create a particular type of sparkling wine from a specific region that would have its own precise characteristics, just like Champagne in France.
He created the Cuvee Prestige in 2007. From 145 of their vineyards, it is made with the finest Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco. The current vintage is blended with the decent reserve vintages in the cellars, so at the best sparkling wine could be made. That's now a bubbly worth celebrating.
