This Italian Sparkling Wine Has Michelin Aspirations

As The MICHELIN Guide is set to reveal the 2024 selection of the MICHELIN Guide California edition, today they announced Franciacorta will become the exclusive Sparkling Wine Partner of the MICHELIN Guide ceremonies in the United States for the next three years.

The MICHELIN Guide California ceremony will take place on the evening of August 5th at the Ritz Carlton, Half Moon Bay. Chefs will be invited to discover whether their restaurants have received a MICHELIN Star or another MICHELIN Guide distinction. Attendance is by invitation only.

“Our famously anonymous inspectors are eager to celebrate and share the selection of restaurants for 2024, and we look forward to toasting with the chefs and restaurant teams to celebrate their extraordinary accomplishments,” said Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of the MICHELIN Guides. “California continues to showcase an impressionable gastronomy scene with international influences and outstanding cuisine.”

Franciacorta was granted DOC status in 1967, at the time the designation also including red and white still wines. In 1995 the region was upgraded to a DOCG classification, applied exclusively to the sparkling wines. The historical region is located in the Province of Brescia—Lombardy, Italy. The name—Franciacorta—literally means "short France", and is believed to have come from the Latin francae curtes, meaning "Frankish courts". The region is grown to 85% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Nero, and 5% Pinot Bianco, as well as a few local varieties.

The partnership will continue in 2024 at the MICHELIN Guide ceremonies throughout all of the destinations in the United States, in addition to Franciacorta being a sponsor of the Sommelier of the Year Awards for the next three years.