Another Italian Sparkler Berlucchi Cuvee '61 Brut

You know we adore Italian sparkling wines and lately can’t get enough of the effervescent nectar they call Franciacorta.

Here is one we just discovered at Wine Library that boasts flavors of “apple, pear, peach, apricot, lemon, lime, orange, pineapple, kiwi, butter, cream, and vanilla.” A veritable liquid fruit salad with a luscious creamy mouth feel. 

We enjoyed this with both light aperitifs and a big pasta dish.

The Wine: Berlucchi Cuvee '61 Brut $$

The Food: Vegetarian Aperitifs and Pasta

The Place: Chilling in bed

From the fabled Berlucchi vineyard in Lombardy, this wine began with the partnership of Franco Ziliani and Guido Berlucchi who in 1955 recognized the great potential of the Franciacorta region and boldly imagined making sparkling wines in the French method in Italy.     

The first bottling in 1961 was just 3,000 bottles, this grew over the decades to millions.  The Cuvee 61 line, crafted exclusively for the US market, honors the wines humble beginnings and celebrates a marvelous 50 years.

You may just think of sparkling wine as the drink just for celebrations, toasts and beginnings. Yet, we love these wines for main courses, like this rich dish of salsiccia e funghi with fresh herbs from the garden over rigatoni with wild greens.

A perfect pairing with the bright robust flavors of the wine complimenting the earthy taste of the pasta so perfectly.

Wine Enthusiast raves about this wine and said "This fresh, creamy Chardonnay-based sparkler is making waves thanks to its crisp acidity and full-bodied mouthfeel. The balance is spot-on, with delicate aromas of apricot, baked bread and sweet citrus that are backed by smooth and persistent perlage." and rated it with 90 Points.

In a May 2013 article, Franciacorta's Golden Hour,  they reported that  this type of wine “one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing wine identities in Europe” and extol the qualities of this delicious juice.

Made with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir it is created with the same method, metodo classico/metodo champenoise, used by the finest Champagne producers of France. I find that the Italian version delivers fuller yet more delicate texture as well as more fruit and richer flavor, than most if its French counterparts.

Berlucchi like many forward thinking wine makers embraces a sustainable approach to their wine making operations including “a photovoltaic installation, composed of 2,600 solar panels, was created by the non-profit social cooperative Cantiere del Sole in Brescia, which facilitates the integration of the socially disadvantaged into society through work activities which teach them new skills and allow them to re-acquire personal dignity.”  Guido Berlucchi & C. 

We wrote about another Franciacorta here: Franciacorta–Your New Favorite Sparkling Wine that we found at Shopper’s Vineyard.

Guido Berlucchi & C.

Fraciacorta

Piazza Duranti, 4
25040 Borgonato, taly