S.i the harvest has just ended in the 19 municipalities south of Lake Iseo, famous for their winemaking excellence, and we are already back to work hard, but not only in the cellar. The medieval Francae Curtes, i.e. the tax-free courts, are in fact preparing for the Franciacorta festival in the cellar with a preview on 8 September in Piazza Cavour in Rovato, where the local bubbles will be combined with the proposals of various chefs.
The kermesse of events will then be on weekends 10-11 and 17-18 Septemberwhen in the 65 participating wineries there will be guided tastings, picnics and yoga in the vineyard, horseback riding or cycling, visits to palaces and museums, excursions with aperitifs, dinners in the cellar, concerts: the imagination of Strada del Franciacortapromoter, and individual producers was unleashed.
These will be days of celebration to celebrate the first Italian Classic Method sparkling wine, obtained in 1961 by that great visionary who was Franco Ziliani, at the time an oenologist with high hopes who wanted to make a bubble “in the manner of the French”: Count Guido Berlucchi, a far-sighted landowner, trusted him. The moraine soil rich in minerals and the microclimate influenced by Lake Iseo did the rest, giving exceptional character to Chardonnay, Pinot bianco and nero and Erbamat, the DOCG vines.
“The winds from the lake lower the atmospheric temperature by a few degrees, giving our wines freshness, and the soil of this area gives minerality” he explains Laura Bosio, third generation of the homonymous winery together with her brother Cesare.
With passion and character he transformed the agricultural activity of his grandfather Girolamo into an organic winery; during the Festival, Laura Bosio will share her love for this land by proposing a bike ride through her vineyards, and then conclude the trip with an unusual combination: Franciacorta and hamburger or pizza, gourmet of course.
Franciacorta is a land of determined women. Here Pia Donata has made a family name grow for forty years – Fratelli Berlucchi – of great prestige: Freccianera wines have a (black) label created by Franco Maria Ricci and are all vintage (from grapes of the same vintage).
Pia Berlucchi was a lighthouse ofWomen of Wine Association and for several years he has left the helm to his daughter Tilli Rizzo Berlucchi, who in terms of entrepreneurial verve is no exception: the gardens of the historic Casa delle Colonne will open for the festival and will host music and performances of mystical inspiration during a prolongé aperitif.
“Mine is a big and beautiful family, but I’m the only one full-time in the company,” says Rizzo Berlucchi. “My mother has increased production from 2 thousand to 400 thousand bottles and now it’s my turn: I take care of the image, the contact with the public and the worldwide promotion of this extraordinary territory”.
The Monastery of San Pietro in Lamosa, in Provaglio d’Iseo.
Appointment at the monastery
The undisputed quality of Franciacorta sparkling wine is in fact counterbalanced by an incredible historical and naturalistic richness of the territory, which makes the Festival an excellent opportunity not only to taste but also to dedicate oneself to that “close to home” tourism capable of giving surprises.
You can breathe the history, which reaches up to pre-Christian civilizations, by visiting the Provaglio d’Iseo Monastery of San Pietro in Lamosa built in 1083 by the Benedictines of Cluny. It stands on a site that has always been sacred: before there was a pagan temple dedicated to the god Mithras. In the frescoed rooms annexed to the church, the ancient Confraternity of Disciplini practiced self-flagellation; today they host the San Pietro in Lamosa Cultural Foundation which organizes concerts and book presentations.
The pale stones of the Romanesque church, the oleander bushes that surround the churchyard, the hydrangeas that seem to invade the space of the small cloister, animate a palpable silence.
To increase the charm of this bright place is its position, a little high on the Sebino Torbiere Nature Reserve 360 hectares with shimmering bodies of water that peek through the reeds, shady paths for a pleasant walk and stalking points, bird watchers’ paradise.
Route to get to Monte Orfano from Rovato (photo by Elena Bianco).
Shopping (at km 0) on the lakefront
A few miles from these water lily-covered ponds frequented by wildlife, Lake Iseo is the northern limit of Franciacorta; the village of Iseo, dominated by the 12th century Oldofredi Castle, invites you to take a walk along the lakefront and in the medieval alleys, especially the second Sunday of the month when the historic center comes alive with an agricultural market where to dispense with salami and cheeses from Brescia.
To the south, however, the Monte Orfano, a sort of 5 km long backbonecloses Franciacorta as a natural bulwark between the cool climate of the soft morainic hills and the warm Po Valley.
Born from a tectonic upheaval, the mountain is a synthesis of the geology, history and viticulture of Franciacorta, inhabited since the Neolithic period, and subsequently by the Celts, the Etruscans and the Romans who brought the vine here.
From 1449 it rises high on one of the first ridges of Monte Orfano the spectacular Convent of the Annunciation of the Order of the Servants of Mary, known for producing a passito wine of great value. This history and a unique microclimate conquered the oenologist Luigi Veronelli and Vittorio Moretti, owner of the Bellavista winery.
In fact, since 1991 Moretti takes care of the convent’s vines and has dedicated a Merlot, Zuanne, to his journalist friend Gianni Brera, “guilty” of having discovered the rooted cuttings of that vine that he liked so much, preserved by a friar of the Annunciata.
The Convent of the Annunciata in Rovato (Bs).
But Moretti’s was not just an enological love affair. The entrepreneur was captivated by many wonders: L’Annunciation XVI century by Girolamo Romanino in the apse of the church, the elegant well-head of the cloister, decorated with capitals that reproduce a bestiary of Christian symbolism, the hanging greenhouse used as a ballroom / restaurant during the Great War, the arcaded loggia from which the eye reaches the skyscrapers of Milan.
Since August 2022 the convent has changed its life: once the friars have moved, it has become an elegant place of slow stay in the 11 cells, enlarged and furnished with modern pieces. In this Soul Retreat “Room with Vineyard” will be the theme of the stay during the festival
Addresses
TO SLEEP
TO BUY
- Cascina la Benedetta Rodengo Saiano (Brescia). Tractor rides and animal experiences for children. Excellent cow’s milk cheeses, butter, yogurt (cascinalabenedetta.it).
- The Colmetto Rodengo Saiano (Brescia). Farm and dairy producing cheese, yogurt, goat’s milk puddings (ilcolmetto.it).
- Bosio Timoline Farm in Corte Franca (Brescia). Try the Satèn, with very fine perlage and great softness (bosiofranciacorta.it).
- Azienda Agricola Fratelli Berlucchi Borgonato in Corte Franca (Brescia). A cellar with 16th century frescoes managed by the heirs of a historic Franciacorta family. Try the Freccianera Nature (fratelliberlucchi.it).
- Polastri Macèlér Torbiato by Adro (Brescia). Four generations of butchers for the pantry of Franciacorta: marinated loin, soppressa, Ret salami, cheeses. For the festival, you can taste the Brescia spit (polastrimaceler.it).
- Contadi Castaldi Adro (Brescia). The cellar of the Moretti galaxy, in an ancient furnace. To try the pinot noir in purity (agriculturist.it).
There are many wineries around Lake Iseo that host events during the festival.
TO EAT
INFORMATION
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