Charlemagne Wine Club - 2012 Tastings

Monday 21st May 2012


Italy's answer to Champagne - fine sparkling wines of Northern Italy
presented by Jean Harris

Ask people in Britain about sparklers from Italy and most people will mention Prosecco, a few will mention Asti and some with hazy geography will talk about Cava. Far less known are the thoroughbred bollicine (little bubbles) wines. These are produced with the same major grapes as champagne and using the same fermentation method. The result is an elegant, generally lighter set of wines which are drunk throughout Italy on special occasions. As the Italians drink 90% of their production themselves, they are not widely available elsewhere. This tasting will focus on the lower end of the price range - where these wines compare very favourably against champagnes of similar price levels.

We will be tasting wines from Franciacorta, Trento and Oltrepo Pavese as well as one similar English sparkling wine - to see how they measure up to the competition.

Jean Harris discovered these wines while doing a Masters in Fine Food and Beverage at Bocconi university in Milan. She was so impressed with them that she started importing them when she returned to London last year. There will be an opportunity at the end of the tasting to order the wines sampled (in minimum cases of 6).
Franciacorta cellar – bollicine bottles en pupitres