This is the wine package for those who want to experience Italian sparkling wine at its most elegant, craftsmanship-driven and gastronomic level. Italy’s Best Bubbles – Franciacorta brings together three expressions from the same producer, each with a clearly different personality: a rosé with structure and berry-driven tension, a classic brut with freshness and breadth, and a Satèn Millesimato with silky mousse and greater depth. Franciacorta is made with traditional bottle fermentation and extended lees ageing, and that is exactly what gives these wines the combination of precision, creaminess and complexity that has made the region Italy’s most prestigious sparkling wine origin.
Why these wines were selected
These wines were selected because together they show the breadth of what Franciacorta can be when quality, origin and refined winemaking take the lead. Franca Contea Brut Rosé DOCG represents the more vibrant and food-friendly side, where pinot nero brings colour, structure and red-berry energy. Franca Contea Cuvée Primus Brut is the most classic expression in the package, with fine mousse, citrus, apple and a pure mineral finish. Franca Contea Satèn Millesimato DOCG adds the most silky and exclusive dimension, where white fruit, almond, length and soft texture take centre stage. Together, they create a package with a clear identity, strong recognition and great versatility both as an aperitif and at the table.
The wines in the package
Franca Contea – Brut Rosé DOCG
Taste:
This is an elegant and dry Franciacorta Rosé with fine mousse, fresh acidity and a distinctly grown-up structure. The palate moves through strawberry, raspberry, redcurrant and rose petal, with hints of brioche and lightly toasted notes from lees ageing. The overall impression is fresh, berry-driven and beautifully balanced, with a saline minerality that adds extra lift to the finish.
Production:
Rosé Franciacorta is built around at least 35 percent pinot nero, and it is precisely pinot nero that gives Franca Contea’s rosé its colour, structure and character. At Franca Contea, the grapes are pressed very gently using an innovative vacuum-pressing technique designed to minimise oxidation and preserve the fruit’s natural aromas. As a Franciacorta Rosé, the wine is aged for at least 24 months on the lees in bottle, building both mousse, complexity and length.
Food pairing:
This is an excellent wine for shellfish, raw or lightly cooked fish, smoked fish dishes, charcuterie, egg and vegetable dishes, and even tomato-based plates where the acidity and structure really come into their own. It also works beautifully as an aperitif when you want to begin with something dry, elegant and more gastronomic than simply festive.
Franca Contea – Cuvée Primus Brut
Taste:
Cuvée Primus Brut is the most classic Franciacorta in the package and a very pure expression of the house style. In the glass it is pale golden with fine, lively bubbles, and the nose opens with citrus, green-yellow apples, pear and discreet notes of toasted bread and nuts. The palate is dry yet generous, with fresh acidity, pure fruit, a lightly creamy texture and a long mineral aftertaste that makes the wine both elegant and easy to return to.
Production:
The wine is made mainly from 95 percent chardonnay and 5 percent pinot nero. Franciacorta is produced with secondary fermentation in bottle according to the region’s metodo classico, and non-vintage wines require at least 18 months of lees ageing. For Primus, the ageing is stated as at least 30 months on the lees in bottle, which explains the wine’s finer mousse and deeper bready character. Here too, Franca Contea uses its gentle vacuum-pressing technique to keep the fruit clear and precise.
Food pairing:
This is a highly versatile and reliable choice at the table. It pairs especially well with oysters, shellfish, fish dishes, sushi, antipasti, lighter poultry dishes and creamy pasta dishes, where the bubbles and acidity can cut through and lift the food. It is also the most natural choice in the package for anyone wanting a classic glass of Franciacorta as an aperitif.
Franca Contea DOCG – Saten Millesimato DOCG
Taste:
Satèn Millesimato is the most silky and refined wine in the package. The mousse is softer than in a regular Franciacorta, with notes of yellow fruit, citrus, fresh pineapple, almond and lightly herbal nuances. The palate has fine freshness, yet feels rounder and more velvety at the same time, with integrated mousse, discreet nuttiness and a long, harmonious finish. This is the wine in the package that feels the most exclusive and the most focused on texture.
Production:
Satèn is a special Franciacorta style that may only be made from white grapes and with lower bottle pressure, a maximum of 5 atmospheres, which gives it its characteristically creamy and soft mousse. Franca Contea’s version is made from 100 percent chardonnay and is also millesimato, meaning that at least 85 percent of the wine comes from the same vintage and that it must age for at least 30 months on the lees. In this wine, around 20 percent of the base wine is fermented in oak, and the total lees ageing is around 48 months, giving greater structure, depth and complexity.
Food pairing:
This is a fantastic wine as an aperitif, but it becomes even better with elegant small bites, finger food, shellfish, refined fish dishes, risotto and dishes where you want a sparkling wine with more creaminess than sharpness. Satèn’s softer mousse and broader texture also make it a beautiful match for more refined servings, where a standard brut might feel slightly more austere.
