How One Premium Italian Wine Is Finding Friends in High Places

Bubbly lovers are increasingly spoiled for choice when it comes to something to quaff at a big event. There are, of course, the legendary French Champagne houses; many, predictably, stop there. And though Prosecco from across the border in Italy has become a palatable and affordable alternative, champagne it ain’t. But over the past 50 years the Italian wine industry has, in certain key pockets, been raising its game, refining its sparkling wines and elevating its growing, fermentation, and production in line with traditional French methods.

Of course, technically you still can’t call it champagne, because it’s not French in origin; rules are rules. But one Lombardy wine region, Franciacorta, has been giving the French a very real run for their money in terms of quality, and also making inroads at star-studded events here in the USA, like the Primetime Emmy Awards, where it has been the bubbly of choice for the past five years.

Last weekend, the 77th Emmy awards featured Esquire favorite Nate Bargatze as host along with a bevy of TV stars, plus a multinational roster of Franciacorta friends including Marta Pozzan, Shanina Shaik, Jeannie Mai, Andrew Matarazzo, and Victor Turpin.

Franciacorta at the 2025 Emmy Awards.

The Franciacorta region is close to the Italian lakes near Brescia, not far from Italy’s fashion capital, Milan. According to legend, the area has produced wines since the time of the Romans, while the name itself said to be derived from French Cluniac monks who set up shop there in the medieval period. The region is spread over 200 square kilometers, an estimated one fifth of which is planted with vines. Last year, Franciacorta produced a collective 19.1 million bottles. (Moët, by comparison, is estimated to produce over 30million bottle on average each year alone, so you could call Franciacorta niche.) The secret sauce is the unique terroir, a soil filled with glacial moraines deposited by receding glaciers at the end of the ice age, and offering winegrowers a particularly mineral-rich environment for the grapes.

The Franciacorta region.

The Franciacorta area is represented by a consortium of the same name, founded 30 years ago, and representing 120 local growers. Production of quality sparkling wines in Franciacorta really began in the 1950s and 1960s, leading to recognition, in the form of the prestigious DOCG status, in 1995, for its produce. Unlike cheaper Prosecco, Franciacorta uses the slower, more labor-intensive traditional méthode champenoise (in which blends of Chardonnay and Pino Nero provide the taste while a critical secondary fermentation in the bottle provides the fizz). The time and effort may mean it costs more than Prosecco, but taste-wise it’s another world. Like all good things, it pays to invest in the best.