At the Hong Kong Wine Fair earlier in November, we presented a series of 15 tastings on the beautiful wines of #Italy.

At about 1 hour drive west of Milan lies the region of Franciacorta where fantastic sparkling wines are made in the traditional method.

As Maurizio Zanella from Ca’ del Bosco told me during a recent trip in Tokyo, “never compare our region with that of Champagne because they are 2 different things”.

First, he say, “Franciacorta is 250 years younger” and second, he continues “Franciacorta is truly unique to Italy”. Indeed, although the region has been making wine since the 16th century, it is only since 1995 that it has obtained the peak of Italian quality classification, that of the DOCG. Producing only 15 million bottles per year or which only 9% are exported, it is no wonder that the wines of Franciacorta are among Italy’s best kept secrets! Other than excellent ripening conditions to produce very high quality sparkling wines, the truly unique feature of the region is the fact that all 113 producers members of the Consortium have voluntarily accepted to make their wines with the toughest rules in the world of sparkling wines and to focus only on the highest levels of quality. Here, the minimum ageing requirements on lees are higher than in Champagne and the rules of vintage, Riserva and Rosé wines are more clearly defined than any other regions.

Over 3 days, the wines of 18 different producers were tasted, all excellent quality.

An interesting category in Franciacorta is that of Satèn. These wines can only be produced with white grape varieties with slightly less pressure than other wines and must be aged for a minimum 24 months on the lees. The result is a delicate sparkling wine with gentle notes of white fruits, flowers, and peaches. The mousse is elegantly creamy, beautifully integrated making the texture supple and caressing. A delightful style category that certainly stands out from the rest of the sparkling wine world and gives much pleasures.

We tasted: