Arcari and Danesi have been producing Franciacorta since 2008 with the "only grape method" (without exogenous sugars) .
SOLOUVA, A METHOD
FOR THE TERRITORY
This title is a synthesis of the peculiarity of the production process, it defines its genesis and at the same time sets the goal to be achieved.
From a technical point of view, "solouva" is a method by which wines are produced with refermentation in the bottle without the usual addition of cane sugar both to cause the second fermentation and to dose the wine after disgorgement. Instead of sucrose (cane sugar or beetroot), the must of the same grapes is used , naturally rich in sugar .
Since 2008
EXPRESSION OF THE TERRITORY
Why using this process can we say that wines are pure expression of the territory in which they are produced?
Because in the bottle, in our glass, nothing extraneous has been added apart from the grapes , furthermore the process has been tested and then certified in Franciacorta, one of the Italian sparkling wine districts that stand out for their morphological characteristics and peculiarities.
Despite the modest extension of the Franciacorta territory (about 2,800 ha) in this small patch of land, soils with very different characteristics alternate, determined by the geological origin of the area: the different altitudes due to the presence of hills and flat areas, the exposure of the vineyards to all cardinal points and the proximity to Lake Iseo result in a great variety.
These characteristics, especially those related to the types of soil, determine different results from vine to vine.
How can the characteristics of a particular vineyard, of a specific area, be found in wine?
Could the Solouva method be the way to go?
At the beginning of the sixties, the Franciacorta producers, pioneers in the production of what has since become one of the most renowned wines in Italy, “simply” applied the French production model of Champagne.
These traditional wines are produced by creating a base wine from not fully ripe grapes, then bottled with the addition of yeast and sugar to cause the second fermentation. After a period of maturation in contact with the yeasts, the wine is disgorged and made limpid. At this point, except for zero-dosage wines, a syrup made up of wine and sugar is added creating different types of taste (extra brut, brut, extra dry ……).
It should be considered that this method was born and evolved in France where sparkling wines are traditionally produced in a continental climate, in areas much colder than the climate of Franciacorta which is an alpine climate but mitigated by the presence of Lake Iseo .
Despite this fundamental diversity, even in Franciacorta, the grapes are harvested before their complete phenological ripeness, when the grapes have high levels of acidity and a low degree of natural sugars.
In Franciacorta, the approach was based, as on the other side of the Alps, on the model that envisages the use of cane sugar, used for fermentation in the bottle, to compensate for the high acidity levels of the wine, caused by the premature harvest of the grapes. and to achieve the desired sweetness. The amount of sugar associated with yeasts also determines the final alcohol content.
THE RIPENING OF THE GRAPES
But why use sugar (sucrose) when in reality the grapes in Franciacorta reach full maturity and therefore are naturally rich in it?
At phenological maturity , the grapes, in addition to being rich in sugar, develop the phenolic compounds of the wine , elements that give the wine color, aroma and consistency . Only in this phase the grapes are able to express the characteristics of their variety and especially of their origin . In this way, the peculiarities of those very different soils that characterize Franciacorta can be traced in the fruit.
With these assumptions, the Solouva team began in 2008 the use of grape must - set aside during the harvest to trigger the second fermentation. The same must is then used for a possible dosage in liqueur.
Maturity of the grapes and use of the must of the same in all stages of vinification: a real renewal .
New Franciacorta
The Franciacortas created with this process, like those of Arcari and Danesi, are wines produced without the addition of components unrelated to the grape (cane sugar), wines that are striking for the richness of fruit and structure , characteristics that can certainly be attributed to the harvest of ripe grapes.
With the development and evolution of the Solouva method, a new category of Franciacorta has emerged.
They are different Franciacorta.
They represent a new and pure expression of the territory and are the manifestation of our sensitivity for Franciacorta that we invite everyone to visit to discover its beauties, the landscape, the people and of course the wines.