22. It’s Time You Discovered Franciacorta!

Welcome to The Wineitupanotch Podcast, a podcast where we talk about wine, life, and everything in between. My name is Anshu and I am so thrilled that you've decided to join me today. Thank you for doing so.

Welcome to Episode 22 of the podcast and what I am calling a Quick Tip Episode.

I've heard other podcasters doing this where they just jump on and do a quick tip Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (fill in the day) and they do a couple minutes of a recording that just is some advice or a quick tip that they're doling out. I'm talking mostly about business related podcasts, so they might be talking about things like building your social media presence or getting more organized or that sort of thing.

I really like the idea because I think it allows a podcaster to jump on and record episodes a little more frequently without all of the prep that's required for a longer episode. That's one thing that's appealing about it, but I also just really love the idea of something quick that someone could listen to that gives them a bite sized piece of knowledge that they can take forward and hopefully helps them in some way.

So I thought I would try it today and I'm actually on the go moving around quite a bit today with lots to do. I'm not even with my new recording computer. I actually got myself a new Macbook Pro, which I'm so excited about and I have recorded an episode on there. But now I've got to figure out how to do the editing because it's a completely different platform than I've ever used before. That notwithstanding, I don't even have that right now. I'm actually just doing this on my phone.

So if you want your own podcast - and so many people will reach out to me and ask me about my podcast and how I got started and ask for advice on how they can get started, and I'm always more than willing to help - I always go back with the same thing, which is that 22 episodes in, I'm still not working with any fancy equipment. Nor do I think you really need it.

I do hope that 2023 will be the year that I finally make the investment in myself and in this podcast to get some new equipment. Of course, that's going to require more time to sort of research and figuring out exactly what I think is the right answer. And I feel like I've already spent a ton of time doing that. I'm just not really an audiophile, so I don't know that much about this, but that to the side, I do want to get myself a proper microphone, maybe a headset, good editing software and get going on that front.

But listen, I'm now 22 episodes in with this one and if I count the one that's still waiting in the hopper to be edited, it's actually 23 episodes in. So all that to say, you do not need the fancy stuff to start recording your voice. And I'm proving that right here and now, and hopefully the audio quality won't be too bad on this and you won't mind it too much. So here we are with a Quick Tip episode. And I'm not going to call it "Quick Tip Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday".

Because if I make this a regular practice, then I'll pick a day that I do it. But for now, I'm just, as I said, hopping on. And I'm not going to attach this to a specific date because I don't know if I'll do it again or if I'll do it again on the same day. So let's just call this a Quick Tip Episode.

And the idea for this episode is inspired by the fact that I'm actually recording this the day after Valentine's Day.

So happy Love Day to everybody. Whenever you're listening to this, I think it's always a great time to celebrate love in your life. And it does not have to be romantic love, nor does it have to be love of any kind. Quite frankly, I think all forms of love are beautiful and should be celebrated and should be a very important part of our lives because we all need love to survive and thrive. So happy Love Day no matter what day you're listening to this.

But if we go back to the traditional marketing machine-driven idea of Valentine's Day, or, you know, some people these days, I think are celebrating Galentine's Day the day before, mostly we think about popping a sparkling wine on a day like Valentine's Day or Galentine's Day or frankly, any celebration. And I have in the past - in my wineitupanotch wine boxes - included sparkling wines as well. And typically we will think of things like champagne. Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind is to get a beautiful champagne and pop that open and celebrate the special day that you're wanting to commemorate and have a really good time with.

But on this particular Quick Tip Episode, I want to promote the idea of thinking about sparkling wines other than champagne because there are so many available.

And the one I want to talk to you about today very quickly is called Franciacorta, spelled F-R-A-N-C-I-A-C-O-R-T-A. I've heard people call it frankia-corta, I've heard people call it frankia-corta with some other sounds at the end that don't really make a lot of sense. But actually it's pronounced "Fran-chia-korta", and it is a sparkling wine that comes from Italy. In fact, it's a beautiful example of sparkling wine made in the exact same way as the traditional method that is employed in Champagne to make Champagne.

And on top of that, it's actually also generally made with the exact same grapes that are utilized in the Champagne region. Sometimes you can get into sparkling wines from other parts of the world where someone will tell you this is made in the traditional method the same way Champagne. And they're right. And there is a cachet that is associated with the use of the traditional method. It is involved. It does impart certain aromas and characteristics that you will not get in wines that have not used the traditional method. And they're more expensive to produce, so they cost more to buy. And there's a very good reason that anybody who's using the traditional method to produce a sparkling wine wants you to know that they are using the traditional method because it is in fact associated with a level of quality.

But one thing that is important to realize is that just because something is made in the traditional method doesn't mean it's always going to taste the same in the glass as a glass of Champagne would. It took me a little while to realize this. I always used to think that traditionally, or I should say, wines that are sparkling and are made utilizing the traditional method are going to taste the same all the time. But then I educated myself a little bit more and came to realize that in fact, the grapes that are employed are a really big determining factor in terms of what you actually taste in the glass.

From a fruit and floral flavor perspective, the part that will be similar when the traditional method is employed, no matter what region or what grapes, is the fact that you get these autolytic, biscuit notes that are not going to be present in as high a capacity if you have not used the traditional method. So that is the common aspect and obviously the expertise and the expense associated with producing the wines. But if the grapes are different, the wines are going to obviously taste rather different.

Now, when you look at a Franciacorta, the grapes are primarily the same, that being they use a lot of chardonnay, they use pinot noir, and to some extent they use pinot meunier, although in much smaller quantities. And there are some other grapes that are permitted in Franciacorta as well. But primarily these wines are made using chardonnay and pinot noir, and those are the same grapes that are primarily used in the production of Champagne as well. That makes them (Franciacorta wines) a really good substitute for Champagne.

The one key difference is, in fact, climate between the Champagne region of France and where Franciacorta is produced, which is in Lombardy in north central Italy. That difference is that Champagne in France is a very cool climate with inconsistent weather year to year. It can be tougher to grow grapest there, although that's changing with climate change. But it's not as friendly or warm an environment or sort of consistent from year to year as the Lombardy region of Italy where Franciacorta is produced. So you do get variability in the profiles of the two wines.

A Franciacorta can tend to be a little bit more fruit forward, a little less acid driven, and I'm saying "little" that way for a reason.

I do find those wines still have a great backbone of acidity and they've got a leanness to them still that makes them beautiful in the mouth, beautiful on the palate and very, very similar to Champagne. But I would be remiss if I did not point out this one relatively significant difference when it comes to those two winemaking regions.

Now it's good to know that in Italy they consider Franciacorta to be the competition for Champagne from outside of (the) Champagne (region) itself. They really do think that they are making world class sparkling wines that are on the same level as Champagne. And I would have to say that many examples that I've tried are exemplary and a lot of people would not be able to tell the difference.

Why should you care?? Franciacorta is often less expensive than Champagne. It is often rarer to find than Champagne. Much of the Franciacorta that is produced is consumed within northern Italy itself. It doesn't even leave the country. So when you're having a Franciacorta, you're having something a little bit distinct and different and particularly if you want to impress guests with something different, it can be a fantastic choice.

It goes beautifully with northern Italian dishes because what grows together goes together. So food from the region often matches the wine of the region. So if you're having Italian food, be it at an Italian restaurant or in your own home, a Franciacorta can be, I think, a beautiful match as compared to a Champagne (which of course will be lovely too!). But a Franciacorta just adds something a little bit special.

And in terms of its cachet in Italy itself, as I mentioned, it is considered to be one of the top sparkling wines produced in the country. The region itself is very well funded. There are no cooperatives there. There are some very large names that are producing Franciacorta, but there are also smaller family run wineries as well.

But regardless of size, they're all generally doing very well and cash flow or financing is not as much of an issue so they're able to put the best of the best into the bottle and you really do taste it.

One of the really famous names in the Franciacorta region that you can find some examples of outside is called Ca' del Bosco if you want to look for that.

And with that I will end this episode. I hope that you have enjoyed this quick tip episode and learned a little bit about Franciacorta. Go and get yourself a bottle and definitely DM me on Instagram, send me an email or put it in the comments to this podcast - let me know what you think if you do try a Franciacorta. I would love to hear if you enjoyed it, what you thought of it relative to your favorite champagne, and whether you would try it again.

And with that, I will sign off. I wish you lots of peace, love, light, and of course, fantastic wine. Until next time. Cheers.

Thank you for listening to the Wineitupanotch podcast. I hope you're enjoying the podcast thus far. Be sure to hit "subscribe" to be notified of future episodes or leave a review to let me know what you think. Take care!