Franciacorta wine

Franciacorta is italian answer to Champagne, made with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Bianco

1. The grapes are soft crushed to obtain free-run juice for the production of Franciacorta base wines

2. The next stage is tirage, which involves adding a syrup of sugar and active yeasts to the wine in the bottle in order to encourage slow natural refermentation. The fermentation generate carbon dioxide, increasing pressure inside the bottle to 5-6 atm

3. Desgorgemant - On removal of metal stopper, pressure inside the bottle is so high that the remaining ice is violently expelled, with minimal loss of pressure or wine

4. Dosage - a syrup of Franciacorta base wine with sugar is added

Non vintage Franciacorta: a minimum of 18 months fermentation in bottle before disgorgement

A fruity sparkling like Franciacorta will pair perfectly with soft ripened cheeses (like brie), dried fruits (like apricot and cherry), and roasted salted nuts