Amazing Tour of Winery and Franciacorta
This is a must do when visiting Italy and definitely worth the cost! Getting a moment to see Franciacorta and gorgeous lake Iseo is a breath of fresh air especially if you’ve been staying in city centers. Our driver (Nicolo) was kind, on time and so informative. He even stopped for photo opportunities in the town. Both Wineries offered wonderful tours and tasting. In addition, the lunch that was offered was delectable and all the wait staff were so kind.
Great tour!
If you like sparkling wine, this tour is for you! This wine is made in the champagne method and is delicious. Our guide Nicolo was wonderful, as were the wineries we visited, and the restaurant he suggested for lunch was a great, hidden place we never would have found ourselves.
Amazing tour, awesome wine, wonderful scenery and an incredible driver/hostess, Francesca
OMG!!!! This tour was truly amazing!! I’d give it 10 stars if I could. The countryside was very beautiful, the lunch was delicious and the two wineries were lovely. The Franciacorta was so good and Anna at Ferghettina was so informative and patient. I loved every moment of it!!! Francesca was an absolute treasure and she could not have been more kind and helpful. She was a superstar! Best tour ever with an incredible hostess/driver.
Discovering Franciacorta
We decided to take this tour, even though there were no reviews of it. We met our young guide, Nicolò, at the designated meeting point, just near the M5 metro station of Bignami, which is outside the city. The vehicle was a nice and comfortable Mercedes minivan (7 seats plus the driver) that we had all to ourselves, as no one else signed up for the tour.
The Franciacorta area is about an hour's drive away, and Nicolò, who is a local, provided some information about the place. Our first stop was at Ronco Calino Winery, a relatively small producer, where we were met by our guide, Serena, who gave us a lot of interesting information about the terroir of Franciacorta, the history of the winery, and their philosophy. We visited the cellars and the bottling area and tasted two of their sparkling wines, Saten and Brut. Beautiful wines and a lovely guide who was enthusiastic to tell us all about the wines, even though it was just the two of us. We took some pictures in the vineyard and then headed to Clusane, on Lake Iseo’s shore, for lunch.
We ate at Trattoria del Muliner, a nice place where you can get a taste of simple Italian cuisine that requires a few quality ingredients and a splash of good olive oil. You can choose three courses from their menu and have a bottle of water and a glass of Franciacorta included. Of course, you can order anything else and pay for it. The smoked trout tartar was great, and the dry sardines with grilled polenta were fair. For the main course, we had the fish of the day, which was fresh, simple, and tasty, and sliced beef with spices, nicely cooked (medium-rare), soft, and delicious, both with some vegetables to pair with. There was some time to see the lake and the town.
The last stop was at Berlucchi, the most important producer of Franciacorta. We had a nice tour of the winery, which seemed more corporate than the previous one, and tasted three sparkling wines: Saten, 2019 vintage, and the ’61 Nature. Good wines, great experience, as this is the birthplace of Franciacorta. In the cellars, you get to take a look at a bottle from the first vintage of Franciacorta. At both wineries, there was some Gran Padano and breadsticks to go with the wine.
We really enjoyed the tour and got a good and comprehensive view of Franciacorta.
