Ep. 270 Cristina Ziliani (Berlucchi Winery) on the Franciacorta Wine Region

This episode of the Italian wine podcast is brought to you by the new book, San Juvezo, Lambrusco, and other vine stories. Researchers Atilio Shenza and Cerrenne Macio, explore the origin and ancestry of European great varieties in a tale of migration, conquest, exploration, and cross cultural exchange. Hardback available on Amazon in Europe, Kindle version available worldwide. Find out more at Italian winebook dot com. Italian wine podcast. With Italian wine people. Hello. This is the Italian wine podcast with me Monty Walden. My guest today is Christina Zilliani, Christina's family winery Yes. Is Bellouki in Flancicorta. Exactly. Oh, good pronunciation. Thank you very much. It's all downhill from here, my Italian pronunciation. That's as good as it gets. So Flancic quarter is the sort of number one, Italy's in the qualitative, the most important traditional method of sparkling wine? Yes. Tell me about the wine and your company's business with that wine. Why has it been such a success? And what's this? Well, first of all, we should say that frontal Corta is quite a young territory talking about traditional fermentation or bottle fermentation, a sparkling wine, as it was born the first bottle was produced, in nineteen sixty one. That's quite recent. Quite recent. It was a marvelous harvest. Although the vineyard were very little, and in fact, fact, the production that year was only totally three thousand bottles. In Franta. In Franta. But the reason was that not many wineries were there, actually only one, and that's Beluki because, my father, Franco, and, Mr. Guido Baluki were just met, and, my had this dream to, start the production of what he was considering to be the best wine. He could have produces a winemaker. He was quite young, twenty seven. And, so he started the pro to use the grape that was available in that moment. It was a pinot blank. And, so they started just as an adventure, we we could call it a startup, sixties, in the sixties. So that was nineteen sixty one. Do any bottles remain from the original sixty one Vintage? Actually only two. And where are they hidden? One is hidden in a place. I can't tell you. Okay. If you tell me you have to kill me. Yes. But the other one is, kept in a cellar. Our a historical seller on the ground, of course, closed behind the gate. Okay. With a lot. Yes. And and and armed guards? Well, not armed guards, but Tiger's lions. That's me. I'm guarding. So what makes, which region is Francha Corta in and what makes it so well suited to sparkling traditional methods wines? Yes. Well, the reason why Franccha Corta has become important and, well known as a high quality sparkling wine in Italy is because of, I know it's with all the foreigners talk about quality and passion. We just heard in a lot of, speeches, but really it was something that was, something to do with the climate because, we a mild climate thanks to the mountains and thanks to the lake. The territory, the land is, on the southern border of a very small ache. So during wintertime, we have mild winter. And during summertime, we have not so called winter. So this climate give us the opportunity to, use very little quantity sugar and, having a very smooth and, old age to not dosage products. Low dosage. Low dosage. What's the name of the lake? Sorry. You taught me to mention the lake? Lago Diseo. Oh, isaio Lake? Yeah. It was it's become quite famous thanks to a land artist, Kristo, who built a floating pier on the lake in two thousand sixteen. So we got a lot of, exposure thanks to the Okay. Yeah. Is it, the pier used for the restaurants there, or is it just people to walk as if they're sort of walking through on on the lake, or what is it? Not now. Because the the performance last only fifteen days. Eighteen. Oh, I see. So it's like, events on this pier that happens during, during the summertime. Yes. Exactly. So we we had something like one million two hundred thousand tourists arriving in those, days. But going back to the, what is special about frontal Corta. So I talked about climate. The soil is very, special, goes, thanks to glacier time is very rich in different minerals. So we can get different in such a small area. We have so many different kind of minerals. They are moreenic hills mainly, and, clay is very deep in the in the land. And, the third important thing is that producers who have started to plant vineyards during the sixties and seventies had decided to have a very high quality product because the area is very small. So we can't compete with large producers in the world. So we have the most restricted production rules in the world. I mean that, for example, well, first of all, we cannot pick up grape by machinery, only by hand. So it must be hand picked? Yep. Yes. Hand picked. We cannot watering. No irrigation. One of the most important thing is that we have a long aging, so not less than eighteen months. And that's quite a long time compared to other regions because we want to get the best from the production. So what is the size in, roughly, in terms of the the vineyard area and and and added production? Three thousand in acres, it's about two thousand acres. Yeah. Just multiply by two point four, two point four seven. Yeah. It's a they're they're working out. These, you know, you know, mathematica. Okay. So it's about three hun three thousand acres, mainly planted with sharp something like, I think seventy five percent chardonnay, twenty percent pinot noir and five percent pinot blanc, but it's dasing in quantity because, we want to increase pin on wire vineyards. So when you, I mean, Francacotta is a traditional method sparkling wine. So it can be white. Can it be it can be rose rosato? Oh, yes. There's a special, Rosay has, again, a very strict, production, rule, because, instead of having only eighteen months on lease, we must go up to twenty four months only at least. And, the quantity of pinot noir used for the cuvae for the blending must be at least sixty five percent. And with mass soration, the skins. Yes. What about food matching? Sometimes we often see sparkling wine as something that we have a glass of before we sit down to dinner. Yeah. Oh, lunch. What about having it with food? Well, what we say about Francacorta is that it's a wine that happens to become a sparkling wine actually because, we love to match with important food. We have a show, typology that is called satan, only made of chardonnay, and that's we can say more suitable for a parity for a, you know, a glass before a meal. And that must also, by law, it must spend these twenty four months on the Yes. On the leasing bottle before scorching. Yes. Exactly. And, for example, we pair, during our meals, we love to pair a typical, recipe from our region that is made with beef, cooked in, water, and, wild, and vegetable that What's that dish called? Manzo olio. Manzo olio. So beef with olive oil. All boil. Exactly. And we pair with rosette or a vintage. We have a five years, vintage, topology that is no dosage. That is perfect with that meat. It all through the meal as well. Oh, yes. Yeah. I know it's something that everybody says about their region, their wines, but that's what we also get. It's a feedback that we from our visitors even from abroad because, of course, people, think that red wine is more suitable for certain type meat. But isn't isn't French accords an advantage in the sense that compared to Champagne, which normally quite often that isn't drunk with food. It's drunk before a meal or with a celebration with the fact that the French court term, you still have cool ice you've got quite a warm day. So you have a little bit more body for these sparkling wines to actually suit main courses. Yes. I agree. And also what about things like the dosage? How I mean, how did what's your approach to dosage in terms of residual sweetness. Yeah. Now the dosage is decreasing year by year. Producers, oh, I didn't say that the vineyards are two third of the vineyards are totally organic now, but, that's our goal to become, the the total organic area in the world. A massive con contrast to Champagne, by the way, which is the least organic wine vineyard region on the planet by a long white Sorry. I just had to get that one. Yes. You said that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. But, we are increasing quantity. We are increasing the production of no zero. Zero. Yes. Actually, in Berlouqui, we call it a tour. So it's for me, it's easy to remember. That's called the same meaning. And, we think that the future of frontal Corta will be no dosage. When you say we, that's you, your company, or the region in general, or both? Well, we do in Beluki, my brother, a Tour is very convinced about, this, vision. And I must say that being the largest, producer in Francacorta, maybe we can't a little bit, influence. Influ, but many, many producers are now increasing the production of, no desire. Who's buying the wine name? What's the market for the zero additional dosage? What's the traffic for for this oil. Well, apart from, Italy, that is, because still the eighty five percent of the production that now is totally about, of about seventeen million barrels produced in Franca Corta. Italy is the premium premium market because, we've been a we didn't have enough production to face exportation until a few years ago. So we say it's French of Corte is a hidden wine to be a hidden pearl to be discovered. But for for sure United States may be ask Japan even though Japan is a very important market. And, but I believe that we have a big, but that's my Christina's opinion. The, I believe that Franco Court can have a big, very big opportunity in United States with Rosier because, we have a very long knowledge about, Rosier production. We all to produce no dosage, Rosay. So I was gonna ask you if you if you're targeting the American market for Rosay, I was gonna ask, was it was it gonna be a little bit on the sweeter side in terms of dosage, would it be, zero dosage? Well, actually, they are we haven't make a a research on that yet. It's a good question, actually. But I think there are two different target of people because, zero dosage is probably the second step for people who are used to drinking more smoother, smoother, sparkling wine. So I think the first step is, satan, that is a brute, but with a dosage but less quantity of sugar, but very smooth and, made with a ripe, grape so that we can get this smooth flavor. And probably the zero dosage is the second step for a m much not expert for someone who wants to increase their knowledge and because I think taste is like for children, you know. At the beginning, when you are just born, you drink your mom milk, and then when you're adults, you love truffles. So that's, more complex. Yes. That's the word. So satan is the first step from sweet sparkling wine towards dry, bottle fermented, and aged sparkling wine. And, no those ash is, something for people who is looking to more complex wine. We'll get right back to the Italian wine podcast after a quick reminder that this episode is made possible by the book Sangiovese, Lambrusco, and other vine stories available on Amazon in Europe and Kindle worldwide. How long you mentioned the organic, growth in organics in the financial region? I mean, how easy is it to be organic there. That's a very good question. In terms of soil, soil compaction, weed control, pests, and diseases. Well And what are and what are the beneficial effects? That's about eighty five questions in one. Sorry about that. Yeah. And actually, I'm not very good in this and sir because, anyway, and it's very difficult in English too. So let's say that it's not so easy because of the climate change. We have introduced used a lot of technology to help, producer to, control. Pest and diseases. Yes. Exactly. So we have started about ten years ago, precision farming co motivation. So we have GPS and everything is under control. Thanks to technology. And we are getting deeper and deeper in this. We started in Beluki. We start did a new project, this last harvest with, local, but very smart. Weathermapping, the red soil. We have weathermapping, of course, but that's a new thing we pictures like thousands of pictures of the grape so that we can we hope at the end of this research, we will have a prediction of any sickness that the grape can get. So a sort of, artificial intelligence. Yeah. Well, it's it's predicting, isn't it? Predicting. Exactly. What what is the and another important thing is that about six to ten producers have started to, plant a new kind of, vineyard, a local vineyard called Erbamat. We have, in Burlucchi, we have the largest vineyard of this, topology. Is it, Vitinio? Yes. So it's a grape variety. A grape variety that is, has a higher acidity and it can be picked up later. It can be harvested later own. Yeah. Harvest later. Later writing. And, I think I'm going to taste, some samples, produced about, three years ago in a few days, but that's only So they're in bottle on on on the Lease in bottle at the moment? Yes. Okay. And what are your expectations for that? Well, the expectation is that, with this increasing in, warmer temperatures. Warmer temperature. This grape can give a richness in acidity because as you know, bottle fermentation needs high acidity to last longer on lease. It's interesting, how many not just you, but, however, every single time I interview a producer now, I I can't think of a producer that hasn't mentioned climate change. Yeah. And it's like, we're not on a name Donald Trump, but, I mean, Donald Trump, for some people that say it's not happening. They will need to become they need to do like a work experience in a vineyard for a couple of months, and then they'll then they'll kinda get it. Probably. Yes. You know, it's that classic, city. Well, actually I'm not a scientist, so I don't know if it is really a climate changing or that is the situation now when you have you pour with, you have days with, natural water or dry periods. So It's more extreme conditions. Exactly. Yes. Just want to say thanks to my guests today. Christina Zilliani from Beluki, traditional methods sparkling wine producer from Franccha quarter in Lombardy in northeastern Italy. Thank you. Thanks for coming in. Listen to all of our pods on Sound Cloud iTunes, iTunes, Spotify, Himalaya FEM, and on Italian Mind webcast dot com. Don't forget to send your tweets to eta wine podcast.