Drink now through to 2026. Serve chilled.

This characterful Franciacorta is composed of Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, and Pinot Nero sourced from prime vineyards on the hills of Erbusco, Adro, Cologne and Cazzago San Martino in the province of Brescia. The fruit is carefully selected by hand and vinified according to the classic methods with secondary fermentation taking place in the bottle. The wine is then matured on the lees in the bottle for 36 months before release.

This lengthy maturation period helps to produce a complex and multi-layered sparkling wine with tiny bubbles, a very smooth texture and hints of brioche, fresh pastries and toasted almonds. The first sip reveals mouthwatering freshness, hints of tropical fruits and a pure, clean finish. It’s the perfect bottle to serve as an aperitif or accompaniment to seafood, chicken or creamy fish dishes.

The Uberti family have been growing grapes in Erbusco since at least 1793, although their involvement with Franciacorta only began in 1980. The current owners G. Augustine Uberti and his wife Eleanor began with just 9 hectares of vineyards and have since grown the business to become one of the area’s most successful. In recent years they have been joined by daughters Silvia and Francesca who help run the family business.

Drink now through to 2030. Serve chilled.

Berlucchi was the first winery to start making Franciacorta sparkling wines thanks to the visionary foresight of local landowner Guido Berlucchi and young winemaker Franco Ziliani. The two met in the 1950s when Guido was looking for a consultant to help improve his family’s wines. Franco quickly realised the potential of Guido’s estate for making top quality sparkling wines and the duo joined forces to create the very first Franciacorta sparkling wines in the early 1960s.

This spectacular example takes its name from the very first vintage of Franciacorta made on the estate in 1961. The wine is primarily composed of Chardonnay along with a smaller proportion of Pinot Noir from the estate’s prime Arzelle, Rovere, San Carlo, and Ragnoli vineyards. Once in the winery the grapes are carefully pressed and vinified in stainless steel tanks. The lots from the finest vineyard plots are then matured on the lees in oak barrels for 6 months.

The blend is then assembled in the spring and undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle according to the same method used for Champagne. The wine is then left to age on the lees for at least five years before disgorging with a further 6 months of ageing in the bottle after that. This creates an opulent, richly-flavoured sparkling wine which is bursting with orchard fruits, sweet brioche and toasted almonds. The complex, multi-layered flavour profile makes this great as a celebratory aperitif or accompaniment to a fine dinner.

Drink now through to 2026. Serve chilled.

Located close to the Lago d’Iseo in the respected Franciacorta sparkling wine appellation, Villa Franciacorta was founded by the visionary Alessandro Bianchi in 1960. Alessandro fell in love with the area and purchased a 100-hectare property which included a historic 16th century underground cellar. To ensure his new estate was able to produce top quality Franciacorta wines, Alessandro took a series of study trips to Champagne and dedicated himself to the art of making sparkling wines. In recent years he has been joined in the family business by his daughter Roberta and her husband Paolo.

The Bianchis regularly win medals at international wine competitions for their excellent Franciacorta wines like this classic Brut which is primarily composed of Chardonnay along with a dash of Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc. The wine is vinified in stainless steel tanks and then spends at least 36 months ageing on the lees to add complexity and polish.

As soon as you pour out a glass you’ll notice the delicate streams of tiny bubbles and fresh aromas of citrus, ripe pears and cut grass. The first sip reveals a soft mousse, crisp acidity and subtle hints of brioche, toast and toasted almonds from the maturation process. A fantastic aperitif to awaken the appetite before dinner or partner for chicken, fish, seafood and leafy salads.

Drink now through to 2028. Serve chilled.

Located in the foothills of the Alps, Berlucchi occupies a special place in Italian winemaking history as the first producer to make Franciacorta sparkling wines. The Berlucchi story began in the 1950s when local landowner Guido Berlucchi teamed up with young winemaker Franco Ziliani. Although Guido was initially looking for help to improve his family’s wines, the duo soon came up with a plan to unlock the exceptional potential of the estate by making elegant sparkling wines using the traditional method, the same method used to produce Champagne.

Berlucchi’s first sparkling wine was the 1961 vintage and since then they have established an international reputation for producing excellent Franciacorta wines. Their Cuvee Imperiale Rosé is composed of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from selected sites across Franciacorta’s 19 municipal areas. Grapes are harvested in mid-August to early September to preserve plenty of freshness and aromatics and are then fermented in stainless steel tanks.

The secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle in the spring after the harvest and the wine is then left to age on the lees for 24 months. As soon as you pour out a glass you notice the delicate bubbles stunning pale pink hue which is a result of macerating the Pinot Noir for a short time. The expressive nose is bursting with wild red berries, cherries and citrus fruit while the first sip reveals a bright streak of acidity, medium body and gentle texture.

Drink now through to 2028. Serve chilled.

Bellavista means “beautiful view” in Italian in honour of the estate’s stunning setting in a natural amphitheatre in the western zone of the Franciacorta appellation. The estate was founded in the 1970s by Vittorio Moretti with the first vintage coming in 1979. Vittorio had the good fortune to meet up-and-coming young winemaker Mattia Vezzola in 1981. The two joined forces to turn Bellavista into Italy’s finest producer of sparkling wines with over 200 hectares of prime vineyards.

The natural amphitheatre on the estate was carved out by an ancient glacier which has left well-draining stony soils ideally suited to the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties used to make top quality Franciacorta. This bottling is primarily composed of Chardonnay along with a much smaller proportion of Pinot Noir and a drop of Pinot Blanc.

Each parcel is vinified separately with 15% of the grapes vinified and then matured in oak barrels for 7 months. The wine is then blended with reserve wines from up to nine previous vintages before the secondary fermentation is carried out in the bottle. The wine is then left to age on the lees for two and a half years. This lengthy maturation process produces an opulent, complex sparkling wine with ample hints of brioche, fresh pastry and biscuit mingling with the tropical fruit and stone fruit notes from the grapes.

Drink now through to 2028. Serve chilled.

The Antica Fratta story begins in the middle of the 19th century when merchant Luigi Rossetti purchased the existing farm and converted the property into a winery. Luigi had fallen in love with the stunning scenery around Monticelli Brusati and set out to create his own legacy here by carving out 1.7 km of wine cellars into the rock in the shape of a Greek cross. These cellars are still in use today by the current owner, Franco Zilliani, a legendary Italian winemaker who acquired the estate in 1979.

Zilliani is best known for his work with the famous Berlucchi brand of Franciacorta wines, but at Antica Fratta he has strived to mirror the Grower Champagnes of France by embracing artisanal methods and small batch production. His iconic Essence Saten showcases the brilliance of the Chardonnay varietal. Grapes are grown on prime sites in the Franciacorta hills and harvested by hand. The must is then vinified in stainless steel tanks with a part of the wine going into barriques to add extra personality.

The young wine is then aged on the lees for 30 months in Antica Fratta’s extensive network of cellars where temperature remains a steady 16°C. Bursting with delicate floral notes and hints of brioche, toast and green apples, this is a fantastic alternative to Champagne and ideal for serving as an aperitif. It can also be kept in the cellar for a few more years where it will continue to develop and evolve.