Franciacorta: Champagne but Make it Italian
Franciacorta is a small wine-producing area in Lombardy, a region in northern Italy. It is famous for its high-quality sparkling wines, which are made very much in the image of Champagne. Although relatively unknown in global terms, Franciacorta is widely regarded as Italy’s finest sparkling wine, made in the same Méthode Champenoise from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Tasting notes for Bonfadini Franciacorta, Methodo Classico, wines sound remarkably like those of their Champagne equivalents, with frequent references to biscuit, brioche, lemon and less.
Slightly yeasty and delicately herbal-herbal pome fruit-citrus scent with slightly nutty and floral notes.
Quite fresh, bright, fine juicy fruit, lively, quite fine perlage, delicate grip, yeasty and herbal to herbaceous aromas, good persistence, floral nuances, a hint of red berries in the background, noticeable acid bite, mineral traces, very good, tight finish, again with freshness and traction.
LEADING WINEMAKER IN FRANCIACORTA
Francesca joined the company, and decided to start making wine from the grapes cultivated on the property. Although the first grape cultivation was done from the 60s, it was only in 2010 the first Franciacorta Bonfadini Nobilium Brut DOCG was born.
Francesca Bonfadini personally supervised the development of the project, coordinating the production, image and communication, searching for an original approach in the Franciacorta wine scene.
The Bonfadini vineyard covers an area of 15 hectare. The soil here has a glacial origin which has the presence of morainic stones. The morainic stone stores the heat of the sun during the day and releases it during the night, making it a positive factor of the grape cultivation.
Moreover, the gravelly soil drains the excess water, and does not let it harm the roots of the plants, and affect the quality of it. In the cellar, the wines are stored in oak barrels or steel tanks with heritage of experience, and technological excellence which enhances the aromatic richness.
DID YOU KNOW?
Difference Between Franciacorta and Prosecco
These two Italian sparkling wines are refreshing and spritzy but very different when it comes to production and overall character.
Franciacorta is the Champagne of Italy!
Production: Franciacorta wines—relative newcomers to the Italian wine scene, with its first vintage debuting in 1961—are made in the metodo classico style of winemaking, requiring a minimum aging of 18 months in bottle, the Italian answer to French méthode Champenoise. Also known as the traditional method, this sparkling wine production method treats the wine to a second fermentation process in the bottle to produce carbon dioxide—the engine behind a soft, bubbly mouthfeel in our Bonfadini Nobilium.
Prosecco, is a much simpler and less costly production style and uses the Charmat method. Also called the tank method, this winemaking process involves a second fermentation in large closed tanks that trap carbon dioxide, a byproduct of the fermentation process, in the wine. The wine is then filtered and bottled under pressure with the desired level of dosage for sweetness.
