Franciacorta DOCG; Terre di Franciacorta DOC

[frahn-shah-KOR-tah] docg area located northwest of Italy's city of Bresicia in the eastern part of the lombardy region. This area produces a highly regarded white still wine from Pinot Bianco (pinot blanc) and chardonnay and a reasonably good red wine from cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, barbera, nebbiolo and merlot. But it's the Franciacorta spumante that's so widely acclaimed. Both the bianco and rosato sparkling wines are made via méthode champenoise and use a combination of Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio (pinot gris), and Pinot Nero (pinot noir). These sparkling wines achieved DOCG status in 1995. vintage Franciacorta wines must be aged for 30 months in the bottle. The still wines must be designated with the Terre di Franciacorta DOC.