Don't ever call it champagne or spumante! While spumante generically refers to a sparkling wine, the name champagne can only be used by the wines produced in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. So, in Italy the painstakingly long and careful champenoise method of creating wonderfully complex sparkling wines with fermentation in the bottle, is called the 'classic' method. Franciacorta is the region where this method has been introduced and refined through the centuries. Today, classic method wines compete with champagne, even if their renown and distribution are still limited. A primo brut, obtained by slow fermentation in the bottle, Franciacorta was awarded the DOCG (Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin) in 1995, thus giving an officially recognized title to the area south of Lago d'Iseo, in Lombardia, where it is produced. What exactly is Franciacorta? The saying in the Franciacorta region is "You don't count the years or the glasses..." The bottles, however, are counted it would seem, as the region reportedly produces 3.5 million of them a year, each made exclusively following classic methods. Franciacorta is made by the in-bottle fermentation of Chardonnay, Pinot blanc and Pinot noir grapes. This is a process which lasts a full 25 months, during 18 of which, the wine is kept with yeast, which gives the wine its tiny-pearl and creamy effervescence, its rich golden color and greenish highlights. An Autumn Bouquet Possessed of a wonderful bouquet, Franciacorta reveals a slight aroma of yeast, a hint of dried fruits and the beloved fall season scent of cloves. The taste is innately smooth and pleasantly distinctive. The wine is produced as: extra brut (ideal with savory snacks and crackers), brut (recommended to serve with risotto, white meat and fish dishes), sec (more suited to ice cream and less sweet desserts) and demisec. The Cellars Itinerary