Wine Denomination from Lombardy
Franciacorta is a sparkling wine from Lombardy in northern Italy, made in the same way as Champagne. It comes from the hills between Lake Iseo and the city of Brescia, mainly from Chardonnay and Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir). The modern story began in 1961, when winemaker Franco Ziliani made the first bottle-fermented sparkling wine at the Guido Berlucchi estate. In 1995 Franciacorta became the first Italian traditional-method sparkling wine to earn DOCG status, Italy's top quality level.
Franciacorta uses the traditional method (metodo classico). The grapes are picked by hand and made into a still base wine. Yeast and sugar are then added, and the wine is bottled for a second fermentation, which creates the bubbles. It then rests on its lees (the dead yeast) for months or years, which adds notes of bread, brioche and toasted nuts. Finally the yeast is removed, and a small dose of wine and sugar (the dosage) sets the final sweetness.
The rules allow Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco (up to 50%). Since 2017 they also allow up to 10% Erbamat, an old local grape that keeps its acidity in warm years. The word "Franciacorta" alone on the label is enough: it always means a traditional-method sparkling wine. Still wines from the same area are sold as Curtefranca DOC.
Most Franciacorta is dry. The label tells you the sugar level, from driest to sweetest:
- Pas Dosé (or Dosaggio Zero): 0–3 g/l, with no sugar added.
- Extra Brut: 0–6 g/l.
- Brut: up to 12 g/l, the most common style.
- Extra Dry: 12–17 g/l, slightly off-dry.
- Sec (Dry): 17–32 g/l.
- Demi-Sec: 32–50 g/l, noticeably sweet.
Many producers also make Extra Brut and Pas Dosé versions, because the warm climate gives ripe grapes that need little added sugar.
Satèn is a style found only in Franciacorta. It is made from white grapes only (Chardonnay, with up to 50% Pinot Bianco) and bottled at a lower pressure, under 5 atmospheres instead of about 6. That gives softer, creamier bubbles. Satèn is always Brut.
Rosé must contain at least 35% Pinot Nero. It has more body than the white styles, with red-fruit notes, and works well with food.
The minimum time on the lees depends on the type:
- Franciacorta (non-vintage): 18 months on the lees; sold no earlier than 25 months after the harvest.
- Satèn and Rosé (non-vintage): 24 months on the lees; sold after 30 months.
- Millesimato (vintage): 30 months on the lees; sold after 37 months. At least 85% of the wine must come from the year on the label.
- Riserva: a vintage wine aged at least 60 months on the lees; sold after 67 months.
Franciacorta and Champagne use the same method and mostly the same grapes. The main differences are climate and ageing. Franciacorta is warmer, so it tends to taste riper and rounder. Its minimum ageing is also longer: 18 months on the lees for a non-vintage wine, against 12 months on the lees (15 months in total) for non-vintage Champagne.
Prosecco is a different wine. It is made in the Veneto and Friuli mainly from Glera, and its second fermentation usually happens in large tanks, not in the bottle. That makes it lighter, fruitier and cheaper, without the bready notes of long lees ageing. Our Prosecco vs Champagne guide explains the tank method in more detail.
Usually, yes. In the US, a non-vintage Franciacorta Brut or Satèn costs about $25–45, while non-vintage Champagne from a well-known house usually costs about $45–70. Millesimato bottles cost about $40–70, and Riservas and top cuvées about $70–150 or more.
"Poor man's Champagne" is a phrase usually applied to cheaper sparkling wines such as Cava, Crémant or Prosecco. Franciacorta does not really fit the label. It is made the same way as Champagne and aged at least as long, but it often costs less, so it is better seen as a good-value alternative at a similar quality level.
These estates are widely seen as the benchmarks:
- Leading houses: Ca' del Bosco, Bellavista and Berlucchi, the estate where modern Franciacorta began.
- Quality family estates: Ferghettina, Cavalleri, Uberti, Mosnel, Ricci Curbastro, Enrico Gatti, Monte Rossa and Castello Bonomi.
- Organic and biodynamic estates: Barone Pizzini, an early organic pioneer, and 1701, farmed biodynamically.
- Also worth trying: Contadi Castaldi, Lantieri de Paratico, Montenisa and Bosio.
For specific bottles, see our best Franciacorta wines guide.
Serve Franciacorta well chilled, at about 6–8°C (43–46°F) for non-vintage wines and 8–10°C (46–50°F) for Millesimato and Riserva. Use a tulip-shaped or white wine glass rather than a narrow flute, so the aromas can open up. Most non-vintage Franciacorta is ready to drink on release; Riservas can age for a decade or more.
Franciacorta's acidity makes it very food-friendly. Brut and Pas Dosé suit oysters, raw fish, fried food and salty starters such as prosciutto or Parmigiano Reggiano. Satèn works with risotto, lake fish and creamy pasta. Rosé and Millesimato can handle salmon, roast chicken, veal and pork. It also works well on its own as an aperitif.
Franciacorta is pronounced fran-chah-KOR-tah, with the stress on "KOR". Satèn is sah-TEN.
Franciacorta is the best-known wine of Lombardy. Read our best Lombardy wines guide for the region's reds and whites, and our best Italian sparkling wines guide to compare Franciacorta with Trento DOC, Prosecco and Asti. Or browse every Franciacorta in our catalog below.