What’s new in Franciacorta, at the Consortium and Montina

The Franciacorta Consortium will present itself in a new guise in 2024. A brand image revamped with a logo that I would call more solid, a project led by branding and design agency AUGE. Solidity and clean shapes, that’s what the new “F” that identifies the Italian and Lombardy metodo classico produced in the province of Brescia, in that territory of morainic nature and natural boundaries.

“We are happy to present our new brand image, which represents our ongoing commitment to excellence, innovation in the wine industry and our willingness to Evolve with time. And our cornerstones: elegance and prestige, but also rigor, precision and determination. We thank AUGE for their valuable contribution and are confident that this work will take Franciacorta to new heights.” the words of Silvano Brescianini, president of Franciacorta.

Franciacorta wine

Let’s refresh the memory. We are talking about a wine with bubbles that became a DOCG in 1995. To be a Franciacorta, the solid points of reference are:

• the method of refermentation in the bottle resulting in natural disgorgement and clarification of the wine;
• production from only Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Erbamat grapes, in different percentages;
• the main production categories are Franciacorta Docg, Franciacorta Rosé Docg and the famous Franciacorta Satén Docg, all of which can be declined with the mention millesimato and/or riserva.
• the range is confined to the province of Brescia and, political boundaries aside, is naturally described by natural boundaries. Lake Iseo to the north, Mount Orfano to the south, and waterways to the east and west.

Masnaghetti’s data and maps.

With 2023 sales growth rates over 2022 up 2.8 percent and average prices up 6.4 percent, work is underway to ensure that the growth trend covers 2024 with big news in store. One above all the study of the territory by Alessandro Masnaghetti with the production of the first edition of the DOCG map and the introduction to the Geographical Units.

Not yet regulated at the disciplinary level, which will take time, they do, however, refer to historical toponyms, most of which were already present on the Napoleonic cadastre that provided the solid foundation for the work done by Masnaghetti himself.

La Montina becomes Montina.

But the news from the Franciacorta world certainly doesn’t end there … one company above all caught my attention, again complicit in an image change. In fact, the rebranding of Montina was just a pretext to re-immerse themselves in their reality so rich in history and heritage of the past, made even more fascinating by the numerous admixtures with art and the eventing part favored by a wonderful Villa Baiana, a venue suitable for various ceremonies and celebrations.

The Bozza family acquired estate and Villa in 1982, but the location dates back to 1620. We are in the highest part of Franciacorta, north of the appellation and high in the hills. Place this accustomed to grape cultivation and Mediterranean crops in general. This is also evidenced by the presence of olive trees and a cedar of Lebanon whose origins are ascertained 1804.

Logo and label restyling

In 1987 the first vintage saw the light of day, and in 2004 it was time to make the first reserve. Today, having reached the 37th vintage, La Montina becomes Montina and presents logo and label restyling. Complex but equally harmonious work between the graphic design studio that has worked with the company since 1996, represented by Alberto Pedrali. E the metafuturist artist Marzia Boaglio. A woman of innate sensitivity, predisposed to listening and a vision of shapes and colors that is never mundane. In this six-handed play with the company, new shapes, of the logo and the labels themselves, new colors and new textures were designed. All to make the Franciacorta Montina tasting experience as cross-cultural as possible. Exactly in keeping with the company’s philosophy, which has always ranged between gustatory and more or less immersive experiences.

Not to be missed is a tasting of their Extra Brut as well as the Demi Sec Rosé. Two diametrically opposed products with great personality. Personally, I find the choice to make a Demi Sec rosé as curious as it is appealing. Bold choice, certainly not a trivial one for which the question arises. When is the ideal time to taste a demi sec? Apparently the aperitif…its present but well-integrated sweetness is not that far removed from the sweetness of a cocktail if you think about it, and if you play with the serving temperature, you’ve got it. It looks like we have found the infamous next gen wine!

TO READ THE WINE DESCRIPTIONS, WITH SCORE AND AVERAGE SHELF PRICE, CLICK ON THE TABS BELOW.