Franciacorta, Lombardy’s sparkling wines

1,901 hectares under DOCG status shape the Franciacorta landscape between Brescia and Lake Iseo, laid over stony glacial moraines. Bottle fermentation has been the rule since the 1960s, when Franco Ziliani at Berlucchi kick-started the local rise of sparkling wines. Within minutes you can move from the medieval monastery at Rodengo-Saiano to the vines of Monticelli Brusati, then on to Erbusco, home turf for Bellavista and Ca’ del Bosco. Altitudes run from roughly 200 to 450 meters, and exposure differences show clearly in Millesimato and Satèn styles.

Your driver meets you at the hotel in Milan, the Mercedes set for a smooth run on the A4—about 85 km, roughly 75 minutes—then the day unfolds at your pace. Pre-booked tastings, cellar tours, a lakeside lunch facing Isola di San Paolo, even a stop at a single plot if a grower is available; you taste while your driver handles the road and waits. In Erbusco and across Lombardy, a dedicated chauffeur in Milan streamlines moves between estates and quietly stows your purchases, before a flexible ride back with an optional Brescia stroll around Piazza della Loggia.