Sparkling Franciacorta Private Wine Tour with Lunch and Wineries Visit

Sightseeing  :  Italy  :  Lombardy And Milan  :  Milan  :  Day Trips

At the foothills of Alps, just an hour drive from Milan, take a wine tour to Franciacorta - a name that refers to the territory, the production method and sparkling wine – Italy’s answer to champagne. On your wine-tasting tour to Franciacorta you visit two spectacular wineries, taste 5 types of Italian top-of-the-line bubbles and have a delicious lunch in the traditional restaurant surrounded by vineyards. Together with local expert guide you will follow step by step the whole process of winemaking and explore the art of winemaking from inside. Tasting Franciacorta sparkling wines will open up to you new fragrances while refining your ability to distinguish different varieties. In the afternoon enjoy a panoramic view of Lake Iseo – crystalline lake hugged by wooded mountains and ancient hamlets. It borders Franciacorta and softens its climate, which is why the sparkling wines of this region are famous for their thoroughbred character.

Our friendly English-speaking driver will pick you in your Milan hotel and in an hour drive will take you to Franciacorta. It is a small picturesque wine region whose sloping hills overlook the shores of Lake Iseo, home to Italy's best sparkling wines and it's best kept secret.

The wineries you visit during the tour are among the founders of winemaking in this region and now produce most prestigious brands of Franciacorta wines. It is a boutique business that caters to the sophisticated epicurean and its quality reaches the highest level. To achieve this, wine makers take care and attention in to every step of the production process, favoring a craftsman method which is now almost forgotten. During your visit, which includes an extensive wine tasting, local expert guide will explain to you the entire course of wine production, ageing and bottling. The wines of Franciacorta are produced using the classic champagne method.

Franciacorta was the first sparkling wine in Italy to receive the highest designation of quality (DOCG) and the self-imposed regulations for the wines are even stricter than those used in Champagne. After a guided tour in the winery that includes wine tasting, you will be invited to a gourmet lunch in the restaurant serving traditional local cuisine. In the afternoon take walk on the shores of lake Iseo, shut in by soaring mountains, it's a magnificent sight. 

To further explore the Franciacorta, you visit a smaller boutique winery, a family estate, that dates back to 19th century. Local expert walk you through the winemaking process in the cellar and give you a tasting, followed by a stroll in the vineyards, to gain deeper knowledge of Franciacorta terroir and grape types.

Though it’s produced using méthode champenoise and with the exact same grape varietals of chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot blanc, don’t mistake it for Champagne: Franciacorta is distinctly Italian, an expression of the region’s unique terroir.