Our Journal

Discovering the wonderful world of Bellavista

3rd August, 2012

Bellavista is set in a picture-perfect rural landscape that provides an ideal environment for the production of Franciacorta - Italy‘s finest sparkling wines – as discovered by the Liberty team on their recent visit to the vineyards, winery and cellars.

For winemaker Mattia Vezzola, “Technology is only a matter of money. The philosophy is what is important - the belief, the idea. Our wines respect their Italian origin - the sun, the wind, the soil and the philosophy‘.

Liberty’s Mark Duce was impressed by “the investment in quality at every stage of production. The immaculate vineyards, the precise winemaking and barrel fermentation, alongside the additional time ageing in the cellars, all add up to a remarkable end result.’  He found the extensive cellar space particularly striking: “Going down into the cellar space, there are tunnels branching off the walkways that are full end to end with bottles. It is an amazing sight! Given that a large amount of the bottles are hand riddled, you get a sense of the massive undertaking that it is to produce any quantity of wines like these.”

Bruce Kendrick adds that the “ultra-gentle softness and super-fine acidity are what sets the wines apart. It is especially important to understand their sense of place in Franciacorta.” Great importance is placed on the digestibility of the wines due to their lower sulphite content, and such inspired pairings as Gran Cuvée Rosé Brut with a steak tartare, caper and vinaigrette-dressed salad dish and Gran Cuvée Brut with a richly dressed crab were revealed during the visit.

Karen Taylor was struck by the still Chardonnay wines: “These are stunning wines by any standard, definitely underrated. With such attention focussed on the sparkling wines, it is easy to overlook these, but that would be a mistake as they are more than deserving of appreciation on their own merits.”

Franciacorta is the only Italian wine that is not obliged to declare its DOCG denominazione on the label, in the same manner that Champagne is permitted to exclude its AOC on the label.  All the Bellavista wines age beautifully too – in fact export manager Alberto Chioni is currently enjoying wines from the 2001 vintage at home, much to the envy of the Liberty team!