Franciacorta wine is produced in a Lombardian region bearing the same name. The area is completely surrounded by varying shades of nature – to its north, there’s the Lake Iseo (Lago d’Iseo); to its south are Bergamo and Brescia, to its east are the morainic hills (formed by glaciers), and to its west is the Oglio River. Because of this, Franciacorta land has amazing soil content and extraordinary (but fortunate) climatic conditions, staying mild in the winter and pleasant in the summer.

There are different explanations of where the word ‘Franciacorta’ comes from. Some say it originates from the words ‘franca curte’ which means ‘free of taxes’. In the olden days, large properties belonging to Benedictine monks took up great parts of the area and were exempt from taxes. Others say ‘Franciacorta’ means ‘small France’, a name given to it in 744AD by Charlemagne, the King of France who apparently made frequent visits to the area.

Regardless of the exact origin of the name, Franciacorta has grown to be known as the producer of great quality sparkling wines, being the first Italian sparkling wine to receive a DOCG classification (meaning the wine is attested to be authentic and of the highest quality).

Although Franciacorta has been producing still red and white wines for a very long time, it was really its decision, 40 years ago, to start producing sparkling wines that catapulted its success and put it on the map.

The main wine grape used to produce sparkling Franciacorta is the white Chardonnay, with a small proportion of the white Pinot Bianco, the red Pinot Grigio or the red Pinot Nero grape.

The types of sparkling wines produced include: Franciacorta Extra Brut (the driest of the range), Franciacorta Brut (not as dry), Franciacorta Satèn (less sparkling, often made from 100% Chardonnay grape), and Franciacorta Rose (dry, contains a small amount of Pinot Nero grape for colour).

(img by: Kyle May)

The city is sometimes referred to as the ‘City of Flowers’ for its amazing spread of flowers across its various promenades.

What Merano is also known for is its yearly grape festival which is celebrated every October to see out the end of the grape harvest.

Celebrated since 1924, the grape festival is indeed an extravagant and all-out gala – houses are decorated, bunches of grapes are hung out in the streets, and plenty of food and, of course, plenty of wine, is to be had – it wouldn’t be a grape festival, would it, if there wasn’t plenty of wine to be had!

The festival is also used to honour the memory of an historical hero, Marcantonio Colonna, who returned triumphant from the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. So in his honour, for a short period (for about an hour), wine is poured into fountains – yes!, wine quite literally flows from the fountains of Merano instead of water! Marcantonio must have been quite a man indeed to foster such a time-honoured gesture.

Now imagine this: lots of music floating in the air and plenty of dancing; people and marching bands parading through the city, dressed in traditional costumes, some parading on moving decorated floats or carriages drawn by Haflinger horses (small elegant chestnut-coated horses).

Well, you don’t have to (imagine). You could actually be there – make it part of your Italian wine tour, perhaps?

And here’s an added incentive, you might be pleased to know that Merano also holds a Doughnut Festival every October. Yes! You’re that lucky! Enjoy!

(img by: Jaci Berkopec)

Montefiascone’s most famous wine is the Est!, Est!!, Est!!! di Montefiascone and is produced from a combination of Trebbiano grapes, Malvasia grapes and Roscetto grapes. The wine comes out pale yellow, and is light and fruity on the palate.

Est!, Est!!, Est!!! di Montefiascone wine has a very interesting history. In the year 1100, there was an entourage travelling to Rome for the coronation of King Henry V. Amongst them was the nobleman and wine lover, Johan Defuk. Defuk sent his assistant, Martino, a day ahead of him – his task was to taste the wines in the inns on Defuk’s behalf so that when he arrived, he would have a choice of good quality wines to feast on.

If Martino found good wine, he’d mark the inn door with the word ‘Est!’ meaning ‘good wine is here!’ If he marked the door with ‘Est!, Est!!’, it meant the wine was excellent. When he reached the town of Montefiascone and tasted their wine, he wrote ‘Est!, Est!!, Est!!!’

Johan Defuk took the young man up on his triple recommendation and loved the wine so much that he stayed there for 3 days and upon his return from Rome, remained in Montefiascone for the rest of his days. His love of wine was great for it is said that he died from drinking too much of it. He is buried in the local church of San Flavanio, forever close to the wine that he loved. Every year, a barrel of wine is poured over his tomb in his honour.

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That wine has a god is of no surprise. Something that tastes that good should have a god, more than one actually, several! There should be a god for every grape picked, for each barrel closed, for every bottle of wine poured! That’s not too much to ask, is it?

There are different versions of the legend of Bacchus.

Bacchus was the son of the god, Zeus, and a mortal woman, Semele. One of Zeus’s wives, Hera, was extremely jealous that Semele was expecting Zeus’s child and so she disguised herself as an old woman and befriended Semele.

Even though Semele knew Zeus was an all-powerful god, Hera placed doubts in her mind. Semele therefore confronted Zeus and asked him to prove he was indeed a god. He didn’t want to do this as revealing himself would turn a mortal to ashes; however, Semele insisted. He revealed himself and she perished.

Zeus rescued his infant son, Bacchus, and gave him to rain-nymphs to raise.

It was as a young man that Bacchus learnt all about vineries and how to make wine. He then travelled far and wide teaching people how to cultivate and harvest grape vines.

In Ancient Rome, a festival called Bacchanalia was celebrated every year on the 16^th and 17^th of March in honour of the wine god, but was banned after 100 years for being too wild.

There’s a phrase, ‘bacchanal’, often used when describing Caribbean calypso/soca (or a Caribbean carnival). It’s rather interesting to see how far the God of Wine has indeed travelled!

(p.s: In Greek mythology, Bacchus is known as Dionysus. He’s also called the God of Intoxication or the God of Festivity, amongst other definitions.)

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“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”

(Hannibal Lecter in the film: The Silence of the Lambs – 1991)

You see? Even the cannibal that was Hannibal Lecter liked Chianti wine!

Chianti (kee-AHN-tee) is one of the most popular Italian red wines. It’s named after the central Tuscan region of Chianti (where it’s mostly produced).

There are different explanations of what the word ‘Chianti’ actually means. Some say it means ‘Clango’, ‘Clangor’ or ‘Clanti’ meaning ‘to sound the trumpet’, ‘to play the horn’, ‘the cry of a bird’ referring to the sounds made during hunting expeditions back in the olden days. Others say the name’s derived from a noble Etruscan family called the ‘Clante’.

Some people say that at the very least, Chianti wine dates as far back as the 14th century as it was mentioned in literature of that time. It doesn’t seem ‘Chianti’ was actually called ‘Chianti’ though, but was referred to in some shape or form. For example, back in the 16th century in England, wine that came from the Chianti region was called ‘Florence’.

The wine-producing area(s) of Chianti was defined and demarcated into sub-areas in 1716 by Cosimo III de’Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany (the first clear definition of a wine region). However, it was redefined over two centuries later (in 1932) into 7 sub-areas, namely Classico, Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini, Colline Pisane, Colli Senesi, Montalbano and Rùfina.

Chianti wine was originally made purely from Sangiovese (san-joh-vay’z eh) grapes until the mid-19th century when other grape varieties were introduced in the form of a blend/recipe by an influential baron called Bettino Ricasoli. He mostly used Sangiovese grapes, but also added Canaiolo red grape, and a hint of Malvasia white grape.

Ricasoli’s Chianti recipe was widely used until the mid-1980s when wine producers started reducing the percentage of Malvasia grapes in their Chianti.

Current wine rules state that Chianti wine must contain at least 80% Sangiovese with 20% being a combination of other grapes such as Canaiolo or Colorino, or even international varieties like Merlot or Syrah. Some Chianti wine makers, however, choose to make theirs from 100% Sangiovese grapes, which is certainly to be admired!

Don’t you just think the names of Italian wines sound so lovely to the ear?

You don’t even have to know what these names mean in order to hear the rhythm in them.

Nonetheless, here are the meanings behind the names of some of these gorgeous-sounding Italian wines.

Orvieto Wine

The light and fruity white Orvieto wine is named after the Umbrian city of Orvieto in which it is produced.

The name ‘Orvieto’ is derived from the Latin word ‘Urbibentum’ or ‘Urbs Vetus’ which means ‘the Old City’, acknowledging a very rich history dating as far back as 6th century BC when it was founded by the Etruscans.

Frascati Wine

This dry or sweet fruity white wine is made from a combination of grapes and derives its name from the central region of Frascati which produces it.

‘Frascati’ is taken from the word ‘frasche’ or ‘frasca’ meaning ‘fire wood’ or ‘branch’ in reference to what the rooftops of houses were covered with back in the early Roman times.

Dolcetto Wine

Made in Piedmont from the red Dolcetto grape, ‘Dolcetto’ or ‘dolce’ means ‘little sweet one’ or ‘sweetie’.

Barbaresco Wine

This dry full-bodied red wine made from the Nebbiolo grape derives its name from the town of the same name. There are varied definitions of the word ‘Barbaresco’. Some say it means ‘the wild wood’, while others say it’s most likely derived from the word ‘Barbars’ referring to the ‘barbarians’ who loitered Italy before and after Rome fell.

The origins of the names of some of these Italian wines are arguably not as romantic as the sound of the name, but nonetheless, they reflect a rich fascinating history.