Wine Tastings and Winery Visits in Franciacorta

Franciacorta wine tasting: which wineries to visit

A Franciacorta wine tasting is almost always a sparkling one: Franciacorta DOCG is made with the traditional method, and you taste it in the cellar where it ferments a second time in the bottle. The area lies between Brescia and Lake Iseo, about an hour from Milan, and its Consortium brings together more than 120 wineries. The experiences on this page are at 13 of them, from Corte Franca to Passirano, Capriolo, Coccaglio and Cazzago San Martino: more than four out of five last one to two hours, usually with 3 wines, and guests have left more than 400 reviews of them on Winedering.

Which Franciacorta wineries are worth visiting?

Il Dosso is the most booked on Winedering, but each of these is worth the trip:

• Il Dosso, in Corte Franca: a small family winery, where the producer leads the tasting of 3 wines chosen from their Franciacorta, other sparkling wines and reds, followed by a cellar tour.
• Ricci Curbastro, in Capriolo: a farming museum, the cellar and 3 Franciacorta wines, a Brut, a vintage Satèn and a vintage Extra Brut.
• La Riccafana: organic Franciacorta. The vineyard, a cellar with a view of Monte Orfano and 3 wines with cured meats, Grana Padano and breadsticks.
• Spensierata, in Passirano: a biodynamic family winery. A tour of the cellar and the vegetable garden, then 4 wines with 4 seasonal dishes made from what the garden grows.

Satèn, Brut, Pas Dosé, vintage or Riserva: what is the difference?

The grapes, the added sugar and the time the wine spends on its lees:

• Brut: very little added sugar.
• Pas Dosé, or Dosaggio Zero: no added sugar, the driest.
• Satèn: white grapes only, mostly Chardonnay, and a lower pressure that makes the bubbles creamier. At least 24 months on the lees.
• Rosé: with a share of Pinot Noir, at least 24 months on the lees.
• Millesimato, or vintage: at least 85% of the grapes from a single year, at least 30 months on the lees.
• Riserva: a vintage wine that stays on its lees for at least 60 months.

Is Franciacorta the same as Champagne? The method is the same, with the second fermentation in the bottle, but a non-vintage Franciacorta spends at least 18 months on its lees, against 12 for Champagne. For a first visit, a tasting with a Brut and a Satèn is enough, like the one at Ricci Curbastro; if you already know Franciacorta, pick one that compares different vintages. Le Marchesine, in Passirano, takes you through its underground cellars and then pours a classic Franciacorta and 2 vintage wines. Castello Bonomi, in Coccaglio on the slopes of Monte Orfano, serves 2 Lucrezia Franciacorta Riserva wines from 2011 side by side.

Can you visit several Franciacorta wineries in one day?

Yes, on one of about 15 Franciacorta wine tours, most of them full-day. Almost half leave from Milan, the others from Bergamo, Iseo, Lake Como or Lake Garda. Some add lunch, a boat trip on Lake Iseo or a visit to Bergamo or Brescia, and if you prefer two wheels there is also an e-bike tour through the vineyards.

Where can you visit a Franciacorta winery with lunch?

At Tenuta Ambrosini, in Cazzago San Martino: after a walk in the vineyard, weather permitting, and a tour of the cellar, lunch is served at the estate's farm restaurant, with one of its Franciacorta wines paired with each course. For something lighter, there are Spensierata's 4 dishes from the garden.

When are Cantine Aperte and the Franciacorta in Cantina festival?

Cantine Aperte falls at the end of May, and the Festival Franciacorta in Cantina on a weekend in September. On both, many wineries in the area open their doors at the same time, and the festival adds vineyard walks, picnics and bike rides. They are festive days, and so the busiest: for a quieter visit, the experiences on this page can be booked all year round, weekdays included.

When is the best time to visit Franciacorta?

Any time of year, because the wineries on this page welcome visitors by booking. On Winedering nearly two visits out of three take place between June and November, and October and November alone account for almost a third of the year. The harvest starts early here, in August, because grapes for traditional method sparkling wine are picked while their acidity is still high. Many of these tastings can also be given as a gift: whoever receives the voucher picks the date.