It’s that bubbly time of year again, when you’ll be sure to hear a lot of popping and pouring going on. According to Beverage Industry Magazine, sales of sparkling wine increase more than 272 percent during the month of December. And even last year, when holiday gatherings were curtailed, people still drank a lot of bubbles.

Which ones will you be pairing with your Hanukkah latkes, Christmas goose, Kwanzaa Cajun catfish and New Year’s Eve caviar?

Champagne is always an excellent choice, and one of my top go-tos, but there are many others worth your while. Some of my favorites include French crémants, like those from Alsace, Limoux and the Loire Valley, as well as Austrian Sekt, South African MCC, Napa Valley sparkling and the higher-end Italian Prosecco, like those from Asolo DOCG.

Aside from Prosecco, when you turn to Italy most likely it’s for its well-known reds, but did you know that excellent sparkling wines are also produced there? Just the other night, at NYC’s happening new spot Shukette, I enjoyed a terrific one from southern Italy’s Campania region.

But for the most part, Northern Italy is where it’s at for consistently high quality bubbles, and some of the best examples come from Franciacorta, a region in the heart of Lombardy, about an hour’s drive east of Milan.

Here, at the foothills of the alps, the soils and climate are perfect for winemaking. Today the area is known for its first-rate, richly nuanced sparkling wines but even as far as 2,000 years ago, famous authors like Pliny, Virgil and Columella celebrated the wines from the land now known as Franciacorta.

Below are four reasons you should have Franciacorta on your radar (and in your glass) this holiday season—as well as all year long.

1. A Unique Expression of Northern Italy

Italy is known for its style. Whether you’re talking fashion, art, or food and wine, Italians have a leg-up on the rest of the world. For those in the know (now you!) Franciacorta's fine sparkling wines, somewhat un-known due to the small production, is an excellent alternative to pricier Champagne.

A big part of why these wines have such local character is that the grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Nero and since 2019, Erbamat) are grown in mineral-rich, glacially-derived soils of sand and pebbles, and this forms the basis for the area's high-quality viticulture.

Additionally, Franciacorta’s vineyards lie in close proximity to Lake Iseo whose waters provide an ideal microclimate for grape growing and ensure that the grapes retain fresh levels of acidity.

**VINEYARDS NEAR THE SHORE OF LAKE ISEO.** *PHOTO COURTESY OF RICCI CURBASTRO WINERY.*

“I can’t overemphasize the importance of the proximity to the lake,” says wine educator and consultant May Matta-Aliah. “For lands that are close to a body of water, the water acts as a moderating influence for both heat and cold. So even though Franciacorta is technically considered a continental climate, the lake is large enough to have an influence, mitigating some of the summer heat and also tempering the cold during the winter months.”

Furthermore, the appellation’s strict rules for production protects the region’s excellent wine quality. Unlike its neighbor, the more well-known high-volume Prosecco DOC whose wines are produced in big tanks, Franciacorta must be made in the metodo classico (Italian for traditional method), an arduous process with a second fermentation taking place inside each bottle, the same way as in Champagne.

Franciacorta wines are also required to go through a long bottle aging process, from at least 18 months for non-vintage to a minimum of five years for riserva. This long maturation adds aromatic complexity and richness of flavor and texture to the wines, and like Champagne, Franciacorta can be austerely elegant with a fine, creamy texture.

2. A Food Lover’s Delight

There’s no doubt that popping open a bottle of Franciacorta is a perfect way to kick-off any celebration, but the place where these wines shine most brightly is on the dinner table. With their bright acidity and tingly effervescence, they are a perfect foil for all kinds of food, from the apéritif (think pretzels, potato chips, olives, cheeses and meats) to soups, salads, roasted meats, and one of my personal favorites, fried chicken. And everyone has their own favorites.

“The best pairing for me for a perfect evening is a good friend with a bottle of Franciacorta Brut and Pizza Margherita,” says Lucia Barzanò, co-owner with her brother Giulio of Mosnèl winery, one of Franciacorta’s most historic wineries. “It’s a very easy pairing but very good and very satisfying.” Another of Barzanò’s favorite pairings is a “good, medium-rare hamburger” with Mosnel rosé, a delightfully fragrant and crisp pink sparkling wine.

And don’t put away the bubbles at dessert time either. Franciacorta can be an excellent complement to the sweetness of, say, apple pie à la mode or a rich ganache-glazed chocolate cake.

3. Something for Everyone.

In the mood for super dry and crisp bubbles? Maybe you’re hankering for a glass of rosé, or perhaps something with mouth-watering sweetness. With Franciacorta wine, you can find whatever it is you’re after.

“The versatility of Franciacorta is one of the assets of this metodo classico wine,” says Laura Donadoni, wine journalist and former brand ambassador for Franciacorta wines.

Indeed, Franciacorta comes in all styles and colors, from ‘Zero Dosage,’ a completely dry style, to those with a touch of residual sugar, extra brut, and then with a bit more sugar, brut, as well as a few rare sweet versions.

But, says Donadoni, the diversity of its styles goes beyond the different dosages (dry to semi-sweet) allowed. “A real uniqueness is, for example, the Satèn style,” says Donadoni, referring to a Franciacorta wine made with less pressure in the bottle resulting in very fine bubbles. “It’s velvety, rich, and elegant with its Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc blend,” she says, “I think it’s a perfect match with savory and fresh oriental foods, like sushi or Hawaiian poke. But my favorite pairing is with seafood pasta, especially with sea urchins or lobster.”

All in all, there is a Franciacorta wine to go with any occasion or meal, be it oysters and sushi, or foie gras and beef stew.

4. 71.4% of the Region’s Producers are Organic.

Chances are, Franciacorta wines at your local shop or restaurant will be organic, meaning that the grapes are grown without the use of synthetic chemicals. And why drink organic wine? Because it’s produced with less environmental impact and is better for the earth and all of us who inhabit it. Chemical-free farming protects the workers in the vineyards who won’t be exposed to life-threatening chemicals, while offering a healthier product to all of us wine lovers.

Franciacorta Producers to Look For: Mosnel, Barone Pizzini, Berlucchi, Cavalleri, Ricci Curbastro, Mirabella, Bellavista, Ca’ del Bosco, Le Marchesine.

Read more on Franciacorta in my article, Growing and Going Together: Franciacorta Sparkling Wine and Lake Fish with Lemon Caper Sauce