Prosecco, Franciacorta & Champagne

Anyone who thinks only the French can produce Champagne is right. After all, Champagne is a protected designation for sparkling wine from the eponymous region in northern France. But anyone who thinks that Champagne is the only true sparkling wine has probably never tried Franciacorta. Its production method is exactly the same as that of its French counterpart: fermentation on the lees and subsequent maturation in the bottle for several months. This complex process results in high quality and persistent perlage.

Where Franciacorta and Champagne differ from Prosecco is mainly in the fermentation method: tank vs. bottle. Prosecco, also known as Spumante, is fermented in a pressure tank. With Franciacorta and Champagne, you get what is called a secondary fermentation in the bottle, which is also what produces the typical bubbles. By the way: Prosecco was originally the name of a grape variety from Veneto. Now, however, the grape is called Glera – Prosecco is just the designation of origin.