Franciacorta vs. Champagne

The denomination Franciacorta DOCG represents the most famous Classic Method of Italy. Despite the high level reached, its international reputation is still far from that of Champagne. But can you really make a comparison between Franciacorta and Champagne ? Let's start with the things that unite them. They are both sparkling wines made with a second bottle fermentation process: Classic Method or Champenoise Method for transalpine cousins. As for the ampelographic base, there are many similarities. The disciplinary of Franciacorta provides for the use of chardonnay, pinot nero, pinot bianco and now also of erbamat. AOC Champagne the use of chandonnay, pinot noir, meunier and other almost completely abandoned varieties such as arbane, pinot gris, pinot meslier and pinot blanc.

Instead, what differentiates Franciacorta and Champagne is above all history , the savoir-faire linked to tradition, the climate and the land. While the classic method of Franciacorta was born in the 60s of the second post-war period, the French sparkling wine culture dates back to the seventeenth century and to the legendary figure of the Benedictine monk Pierre Pérignon, who according to legend, developed the Champagne production process at the 'Abbey of Hautvillers, north of Épernay. Therefore, a few centuries elapse between the birth of the two sparkling wines and also a precious wealth of experience and knowledge, handed down from generation to generation to the present day. Another substantial difference concerns the climate and the composition of the land. Champagne is located at the northern limit of the cultivation of vines in our hemisphere. The climate is characterized by a double influence, continental and Atlantic, with rather cold and cold winter and spring temperatures, mitigated by the influence of the ocean. Franciacorta, on the other hand, has a rather warm and temperate climate, which in many years requires early harvests. The soils of the Champagne region consist of limestone and chalk outcropping in the Cote de Blancs and Cote de Sesanne, limestone marls, which insist on a deep gypsum substrate in the area of the Montagne de Reims and limestone-clay marls in the Vallée de the Marne and the Cote de Bar. In Franciacorta the land is mainly of morainic origin, made up of gentle hilly reliefs of lands rich in pebbles. Exceptions are the relief of Monte Orfano, an ancient outcrop of limestone conglomerates and the area to the east, at the extreme border of the glacial moraine, which is of a limestone nature.

The main difference between Franciacorta and Champagne can be summarized with the famous French expression terroir , that is the set of climate, soil, vines, traditions and culture. A difference that is also reflected in the profile of the wines. In Champagne the vins clairs have higher acidity and after many years of aging on the lees, the cuvées develop great complexity and retain a natural, almost cutting freshness, which constitutes its inimitable salient trait. It is no coincidence that in Champagne one often has to resort to malolactic to lower the acidity of the bases. These are two great sparkling wines with different characteristics, but today Champagne still remains the undisputed model of absolute excellence.

Franciacorta DOCG Millestimato Brut Nature Freccianera 2022 Fratelli Berlucchi

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Champagne AOC Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2015 Nicolas Feuillatte

Champagne AOC Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Blondel

Franciacorta DOCG Brut CruPerdu 2020 Castello Bonomi

Franciacorta DOCG Pinònero Riserva 2017 Contadi Castaldi

Franciacorta Extra Brut DOCG '61 Berlucchi

Champagne AOC Réserve Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Saintgybryen

Franciacorta DOCG Brut Corte alle Stelle

Champagne AOC Blanc de Noirs Brut Léonce d'Albe

Franciacorta DOCG Brut Blanc de Blancs Freccianera 25 Fratelli Berlucchi

Franciacorta DOCG Riserva Brut Nature Dom 2018 Mirabella

Franciacorta DOCG Millesimato Essence Brut Rosé 2021 Antica Fratta

Franciacorta DOCG Brut Satèn Corte alle Stelle

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