When in the mood for celebration my desire for bubbly to
mark the occasion, in particular Champagne, is well recorded. Of course, not
everyone’s pocket can run to such luxury. Do be aware though that despite the
many supermarket offers that fill the shelves around this time of year, the
cheaper offerings make for pretty poor drinking. If real Champagne is your
tipple, you should reckon on around £30 a bottle to be sure of something
memorable.
If your budget means that you can only afford to splash out
at around £10 a bottle, Cava, the Spanish sparkling wine from Catalonia, is a
better bet; although the current conflict may give you pause for thought,
depending on your political views.
At the more modest end of the scale, I have long since tired
of the ubiquitous Prosecco that seems to have dominated the market in recent
years. To be honest the market is so flooded that much of it is of poor
quality.
On a more positive note, this festive season, during a
memorable trip to the opera at La Scala in Milan, I was delighted to discover a
credible bubbly alternative in the wines of Franciacorta (pronounced
franchacorta), which enjoys DOCG status.
Situated in the hills of the Brescia province, lying to the
south of Lago d'Iseo, the name Franciacorta is said to have been derived from
an ancient term, "franca curte," that was applied to a monastic
property in the district, which, as an ecclesiastical possession, was free or
"franco" of taxes.
The recent international success of these sparkling wines
owes much to the methode champenoise technique of making them. The introduction
of this step, with a secondary fermentation carried out in the bottle, has
enabled the area to improve the quality of wines already benefiting from
outstanding soil characteristics and a highly favourable microclimate.
During my visit I took every opportunity to try as many as I
could. One unforgettable evening was spent in a tiny bistro where, invited to a
tasting, I sampled the wines of vineyard 1701, accompanied by 18 different
courses of fried foods, all served on dinky paper plates. This concept of
bubbly with fried foods seems to be a very popular one and it required some
stamina I can tell you; we left at 11.30pm, not having got as far as dessert.
The owners of the vineyard, brother and sister Federico and
Silvia Stefini, were generous in plying us with samples of several of the six
wines they produce, totalling around 60,000 bottles per year, produced from
grapes grown on their 10 acre site.
The name 1701 stems from the fact that this was the first
documented date of winemaking here. The vineyard was revived in 2009 by two
enthusiastic brothers who believe in the philosophy of the principles and
methods of organic and biodynamic viticulture. Their efforts were rewarded when
in July 2016, 1701 obtained its official biodynamic/organic certification. It
is still the only vineyard to have achieved this in Franciacorta. The wines are
testament to the benefits of an environmentally friendly approach; a healthy,
living agriculture that improves and enriches the soil, without the use of
chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides. Since its very first vintage the
vineyard has gained numerous international awards. All well-deserved, if the
wines I sampled are anything to go by, and very expressive of the terroir.
Made from two of the traditional Champagne grape varieties,
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the wines are available in the UK through importers
Les Caves de Pyrenes, and range in price from £15 to around £40. Most of their
wines are, unusually, zero dosage.
A number of the wines are left in contact with the lees for
a minimum of 30 months, far longer than regulations stipulate. Of note is their
limited-edition vintage, which spends a minimum of 40 months on its lees.
Look out for their Satèn, made in a style typical of the
region, with only 5 bars of pressure in the bottle, so less effervescent than
some.
Also worth trying is Sullerba, an old vinification method
where the lees remain in the bottle, unfiltered and not disgorged. Made from
100% chardonnay, it is fermented in steel tanks and terracotta amphorae, then
transferred into a bottle, using the must of the same vine for second
fermentation, and aged for a minimum of 18 months. Their latest offering is
Surnàt, which is vinified entirely in amphora.
Other Franciacorta DOCG wines to look out for are:-
· Berlucchi
Cellarius, 2011, £19
· La Rotonda
Satèn, 2013, £20
· La Rotonda
Dizeta, 2009, 12.5%, £25
· Ca’ del Bosco Millenium 2006, 12.5%, £36
· Montedelma
Rosé, NV, £22
The wines are not inexpensive, but will certainly make an
interesting alternative for those seeking quality bubbles to get you in the
mood for celebration.
No comments:
Post a Comment