About this wine
Vineyard and terroir
The vines grow on south-facing hillsides, maximizing their exposure to warm sunlight. The wider Franciacorta area is a small, densely hilly part of Lombardy, bounded by the Oglio River, the Alpine foothills, Lake Iseo and the Brescia–Bergamo motorway.
Vinification
The grapes are harvested by hand at optimal ripeness. After pressing, the must receives a short cold maceration, followed by fermentation at 20 °C to preserve its natural aromas. The wine is clarified before bottling.
Ageing
The wine matures for eight months in small white-oak barrels.
Label / history
“Alma” is Latin for “that which has meaning and creates character.” In the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Lucretius, it was also a name for Venus, the giver of life. The name was chosen to convey the vitality, soul and essence of Bellavista and its approach to winemaking.
Two traditions are given for the name Franciacorta. One traces it to a religious order established in the area between the 11th and 13th centuries: the monks called their lands “curtes francae,” or “tax-exempt territory,” because they were exempt from Brescia’s taxation laws. The other concerns Charlemagne, King of the Franks, in the mid-eighth century. Having promised to return for Saint Dionigi’s Day before campaigning against the Lombards, he found himself near Rodengo-Saiano on the appointed day and proclaimed the area “France in miniature”—Franciacorta.
