Food & Occasion

What pairs with Franciacorta? In Brescia, people love Casoncelli, stuffed pasta with melted butter, sage and pancetta. A Satèn with its creaminess matches the butter and the soft filling, and its acidity cuts through the richness without overpowering the dish.

Fish belongs to the lake. On Monte Isola, lake sardines are dried in the wind; they're a Slow Food Presidium, and are eaten preserved in oil with bread. Tinca, tench, is also roasted in the oven at Clusane on the lakeshore, served with polenta. A Brut with its freshness and fine bubbles handles the salty, lightly smoky flavor well.

The Spiedo bresciano is the region's festive dish: pork, beef, rabbit and, in the past, small birds too, slow-roasted for hours on a spit over embers and served with polenta. Tradition calls for a red wine such as Botticino or Valtenesi alongside it. Anyone who prefers sparkling wine instead should reach for the Rosé, whose Pinot Nero brings enough weight for the meat.

In Italy, Franciacorta serves above all as the aperitivo that opens the evening, and for christenings, weddings and New Year's celebrations. In 2012 it became the official sparkling wine of Milan Fashion Week.

Anyone visiting the region is best off planning two days: one for the wineries around Erbusco and Corte Franca, one for the lake and the island. Only a few kilometers separate the two, and a ferry runs from Sulzano to Monte Isola.