Franciacorta Extension: Italy's Other Sparkler

Franciacorta is a beautiful and relatively untouristed region, covered with vineyards forming verdant rolling hills.  South of the prealpi, or foothills of the Alps, the region extends from Lago Iseo to the south, down to the flats where the Oglio River flows toward the Po. This sunny amphitheater is not only covered with vineyards, but also olive groves, vegetable gardens, meadows, and woods – a spectacular landscape to explore. Towers, castles, palaces, noble villas, rural churches, sanctuaries, and abbeys dot the hillsides and comprise the townships throughout the region, their stones recounting the regions fascinating history. Just 60 kilometers 37 miles) from Milan, noble families built their country residences here in past centuries, where they would enjoy long periods of rest. The sumptuous villas are ever present, surrounded by magnificent gardens full of centuries-old trees. 
Monastic courts also possessed magnificent estates, dating back over a millennium, leaving behind numerous country churches, monasteries, and abbeys that can be visited today.
Grave cultivation and wine making in Franciacorta dates back to the Middle Ages, and continued uninterrupted through the Roman, the Late Classical, and the medieval periods. The mild, temperate climate, combined with excellent soils, have helped viticulture here to remain an unbroken tradition. Unlike Prosecco, Franciacorta sparkling wines are made using the traditional French méthode champenoise, or “Classic Method,” with the second fermentation in the bottle.
In 1995, Franciacorta was the first Italian sparkling wine produced exclusively by the Classic Method to win official status as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). Today, the front label on the wine reads simply “Franciacorta”: this one term defines the growing area, the production method, and the wine. All of Europe boasts only 10 such privileged wines, and only three of them are made by refermentation in the bottle, Cava, Champagne, and Franciacorta.
Today, the area’s venerable wine cellars have transformed themselves into cathedrals of modern winemaking technology. They proudly produce the four categories of Franciacorta sparkling wines – Millesimato, Rosé, Satèn, and Riserva – as well as Franciacorta’s still wines.  And you thought the only sparkling wine in Italy was Prosecco!?

• Discover Italy’s other sparkling wine – Franciacorta – named for the beautiful region which it is grown
• Hike or bicycle on country roads through the beautiful vineyard landscape of Erbusco
• Explore Lago Iseo, one of the least explored Italian lakes
• Luxuriate at Condé Nast’s 2013 Most Excellent Hotel Spa