Toasting Italy’s best bubbly

It’s nearly summer and time to fire up the grill. If you are looking for something other than a cold beer to accompany your charbroiled masterpieces, try a sparkling wine from Italy. And if you want the best, try Franciacorta — Italy’s champagne.

Franciacorta is both a wine-production zone — similar to the more famous Chianti or Valpolicella — and a delicious and refreshing bubbly — also called Franciacorta — perfectly suited for a sunny day by the grill. The region is in the province of Brescia, midway between Verona and Milan.

But this leaves you in a bind: Where and how do you stock your cellar for the summer season?

By pleasant coincidence, our Memorial Day weekend matches up with Italy’s "Cantine Aperte." That translates to "open cantinas," and is exactly what it sounds like.

On Sunday, May 25, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., wine producers, including many in Franciacorta, will open their doors to the public. When you arrive at a participating cantina, you’ll buy a glass (at press time the price had not been announced, but it will be 10 euros or less). Carry it with you to as many cantinas as you wish, and enjoy free tasting of virtually any of the wines produced there. Cantinas also offer (free!) a generous buffet of snacks, cheese, sliced meats, pasta and pastries.

Because most wine producers are small, family businesses, they generally are not open for walk-in tastings or tours. Cantine Aperte began about 15 years ago so vintners could promote their products, offering the public the chance to taste wine in a historic villa or elegant estate close to where it was made. With more than 1 million participants annually, Cantine Aperte has grown into a national wine day.

An added advantage to Cantine Aperte is that each winemaker is happy to sell his product. Since you’ll be purchasing directly from the cantina, you’ll pay less than in any store or restaurant. Just don’t get carried away at the first stop because you’ll probably want to buy some at the second and third winery, too.

To take the best advantage of Cantine Aperte, you need a car. First, to travel between wineries, and second, for the trunk space to haul your treasures home. Since you’ll be tasting wine, be sure to have a designated driver.

Franciacorta is an area of lush rolling hills bordered on the north by picturesque Lake Iseo and on the south by Mount Orfano. The mild weather and mineral-rich terrain provide ideal conditions for producing wine.

The most abundant grapes are Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and Pinot Nero. Each is a distinctive grape strong enough to make terrific wine on its own. When blended and carefully prepared using what the wine industry dubs the "champagne method," the result is Franciacorta. Widely considered the best sparkling wine from Italy, it is similar in flavor, structure and alcohol content to its French cousin, but costs less.

In 1995, Franciacorta rerceived the DOCG designation (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita — the highest possible acknowledgement of wine quality). It is the first Italian sparkling wine to receive the honor.

Grapes are hand-harvested in late August. Workers gently stack bunches into small plastic containers to prevent bruising during transport back to the cellar. Once pressed, the juice is mixed with yeast and sits in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. After two days, sediment is removed and the liquid is transferred either to another steel vat or to a barrel, depending on the vintner’s preference and the wine being made.

The following spring is time to mix the various liquids, sometimes from different years, to produce the specific type of Franciacorta desired. Finally, a syrup of sugars and yeast is added to start a slow natural fermentation that adds the characteristic effervescence.

The wine is poured into bottles, which are sealed with metal caps. The bottles are stacked horizontally in temperature and humidity-specific cellars where they will wait from 18 to 48 months.

During that time, sediment settles on the bottom. To remove it, bottles are placed neck first into long narrow holes in inclined wooden racks (called pupitres). Every day, each bottle is twisted one-eighth of a turn and slanted slightly farther into the wooden rack. This process takes about one month and ensures all the sediment gravitates into the neck of the bottle.

Once the sediment drops, the bottle neck is flash frozen and the metal cap removed. Pressure formed by carbon dioxide produced during fermentation, causes the "cork" of ice and sediment to fly out.

Another special blend of wine, sugar, cognac or some other grape distillate is added. The bottle is topped with the familiar mushroom-shaped cork and sealed with a foil wrapper and secured by a wire hood. Up to three years later, the wine is made available to those of us on the consumer end of the wine industry, just in time for summer.

Each type of Franciacorta has its own characteristics, but in general, you’ll find they are clear with a straw-yellow color, have a gentle fragrance of ripe fruit or flowers, and a refreshing silky feel that tastes of citrus. Tight lines of delicate bubbles float to the top of your glass.

Sipping a refreshing wine while in the courtyard of an ancient noble estate or converted monastery is a very pleasant experience. Sitting at home by your barbecue grill is just as good. And if by summer’s end you have no bottles left, think about the "Festival of Franciacorta" Sept. 20–22.

Jim Sajo is a freelance writer who lives in northern Italy.

Know and go ...

To get to Franciacorta, take Autostrada 4 west of the city of Brescia to the Rovato exit. Turn left, and at the first traffic circle, drive north (to the right) about three miles to Erbusco. On the right, there is a large wine store called Le Cantine Di Franciacorta. Stop there to find maps of the area and suggestions for which wineries to visit.

Here are some good bets for the Cantine Aperte (open cantinas):

• Contadi Castaldi, Via Colzano 32, Adro; www.contadicastaldi.it
• Fratelli Berlucchi, Piazza Duranti 4, Borgonato di Cotrefranca; www.berlucchi.it
• Il Mosnel, Via Barboglio 14, Camignone; www.ilmosnel.com
• Conti Terzi, Via Sopramura 8, Rovato; www.agricolacontiterzi.it
• While Le Cantina Di Franciacorta — www.cantinefranciacorta.com — is not a cantina, it is a wine store with samples from almost every producer in the area.

Franciacorta wines come in a wide variety. Prices range from 13 to 60 euros. The four main categories are:

• Brut — The classic Franciacorta. It is typically made with between 60 and 80 percent Chardonnay grapes, between 20 and 30 percent Pinot Bianco, and the remainder Pinot Nero. It has a clear yellow color and full, plump taste of lemons.
• Brut Saten — The Pinot Nero grape is left out, resulting in a smoother, softer wine. Saten (meaning satin) has a slightly brighter color and a creamier taste.
• Brut rosé — a higher percentage of Pinot Nero grapes gives this wine its pink color. It also adds a flavor of cherries or raspberries.
• Vintage — Because at least 85 percent of this wine must come from a single vintage (year), it is produced only from a harvest of exceptionally high quality. Aged longer in the bottle, it has more intense fragrance and flavors.

For more information including a list of restaurants and hotels in the area, see www.stradadelfranciacorta.it. This tourism promotion agency will offer suggestions on walks through a nature park, bike trips, visits to Lake Iseo and tours of monasteries.

According to Gabriella Campese, it also offers a GPS navigation device for rent (10 euros for one day, 25 euros for three days). "The navigator can be specifically programmed to a wine itinerary," she said. "But it can also be set up for nature and sport itineraries, or historical and cultural trips."

— Jim Sajo