Bellavista Franciacorta, Italian sparkling with dinner

Posted by winesleuth in All | 0 comments

I recently attended a dinner hosted by Franciacorta producer Bellavista. We met at Italian restaurant Margot in Covent Garden for what promised to be an enlightening wine and food matching occasion.

Franciacorta is often said to be Italy’s answer to Champagne and, while it is made using the same method and uses chardonnay as it’s main grape, there is a difference, the Franciacorta being fuller and rounder than Champagne.

This most likely due to it’s location. Franciacorta is a DOC in the hills of of Brescia, a cool climate region (for Italy but still considerably warmer then Champagen). The sunnier climes provide another degree of ripeness, giving wines that are fuller, rounder and not as acidic.

Bellavista was founded by Vittorio Moretti he was a hobbyist who turned his hobby into his passion. Vittorio previously built wineries as well so he was quite familiar with the wine making world.

Vittorio’s vineyards are organic and he is slowly moving to producing all his wines biodynamically.

Among the highlights with dinner…

Franciacorta Saten 2011 with Cornish Crab Salad. The Saten is a special style of Franciacorta, it being a blanc de blanc and being under less pressure then normally produced Franciacorta. It’s a blend of 80% chardonnay and 20% pinot blanc. Smooth and light on the palate, it is silky or satin-y as the name implies. Elegant and fresh despite spending 5 years on the lees.

The Franciacorta Brut Teatro Alla Scala 2011 is named after the famed opera house in Milan. As Vittoria had a special love of opera and was great friends with Pavarotti.  Paired with a perfectly roasted octopus dish, that had to be the most delectable octopus I’ve ever had. Laying on a bed of lentils with a dab of Nduja, a perfect combination and the wine stood up to the spiciness of the sausage not being overpowered or overpowering. The wine was extremely perfumed with distinct mineral notes. It’s 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir and spends 5 years on it’s lees.

The final Franciacorta was the Extra Brut Vittorio Moretti Riserva 2008. It spends 7 years on the lees and is only made in exceptional vintages. 60% chardonnay and 40% pinot noir there are very few vintages produced. A smooth and complex wine, still retaining a nice balance of fruit. This wine is presented every year on December 7th. Paired with a deceptively simple dish of Gramigna pasta with cured pork cheeks, the dish was divine, I could have easily had seconds!

A lovely evening spent discovering how well Franciacorta wines pair with food.