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Franciacorta: the story of a fascinating territory.
The name Franciacorta is linked to an ancient history, wrapped in an enigma that still today excites the imagination of many. The most accredited theory connects the territory to the presence of Cluniac and Cistercian monks who arrived in this area in the 11th century from Cluny. Thanks to the reclamation and cultivation of the vast lands they administered, they obtained exemption from paying the duty in 1100, creating thus courts free from taxes, the Francae Curtes, from which the toponym "Franzacurta" was born.
The viticulture in Franciacorta: a millennial tradition
The history of Franciacorta is rooted in a territory where vine cultivation has been a constant, from Roman and Late Antiquity epochs until the High Middle Ages. Franciacorta is located in the province of Brescia, south of Lake Iseo, and extends for about 2000 hectares, among 19 municipalities. The pedoclimatic conditions of this territory have always favored the growth of vineyards, which have given life to a high-quality wine.
Between history, wine and culture
The wine culture in Franciacorta merges with ancient medicine and history. In 1570, the Brescian doctor Girolamo Conforti wrote one of the first publications in the world about the technique of preparing natural fermentation wines in bottles and their action on the human body, the "Libellus de vino mordaci". Conforti, who knew French oenology very well, judged the Franciacorta wines as "mordaci," that is, lively and sparkling, and listed their therapeutic virtues.
The Napoleonic land registry and the growth of wine production
The Napoleonic land registry of 1809 captured a reality with over a thousand hectares of land specialized in the production of "sharp" wines and almost as many hectares of mixed vineyards with other crops. In the years to come, wine production continued to grow steadily, far exceeding the needs of the population, thus starting the first commercial activities.
The first Franciacorta
In the 1960s, Franco Ziliani, a young wine expert passionate about sparkling wines, decided to produce a version of the famous Pinot Noir using Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc grapes, typical of the Franciacorta territory. Thus was born the "Pinot di Franciacorta," which launched the modern production of sparkling wines, paving the way for the recognition of the area as a controlled designation of origin.
Franciacorta: a wine, a method, a territory
Already in 1967, Franciacorta obtained the first recognition as a controlled designation of origin. The union of passion and intent led to the creation of the Franciacorta Consortium on March 5, 1990, in Corte Franca, thanks to 29 producers, including Alessandro Bianchi, founder of Villa Franciacorta, with the aim of guaranteeing and controlling compliance with the production regulations for Franciacorta wine.
In 1995, thanks to the effort of these pioneers, the territory and production method were recognized with the first controlled and guaranteed designation of origin (DOCG) in Italy, the highest recognition of quality for Italian wines. Today, the word "Franciacorta" represents not only a territory but also a production method and a high-quality wine.
The Franciacorta DOCG regulation
The Franciacorta DOCG is a product that follows strict production guidelines. It is made exclusively from hand-picked Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Nero, or Erbamat grapes from the production area. The wine must undergo a long bottle-aging process on yeast, lasting at least 18 months from the harvest for the simplest type, 30 months from the harvest for the "millesimato" type, and 60 months for the "riserva" type. This long aging period gives the wine greater complexity and depth, creating a product of the highest quality and refinement. Villa Franciacorta, a voice outside the choir, has always chosen, in order to enhance its products, to produce only millesimati with a minimum of 36 months on the lees.
Franciacorta, Union of Passions
