Mosnel Franciacorta Brut Rosé | Certa

Franciacorta is a DOCG wine with its production zone located in the district of Brescia in Lombardy, in central northern Italy. It is produced using the ‘traditional method’ – the same as for Champagne – with a secondary fermentation taking place in the bottle. You probably don’t know that Franciacorta applies the strictest requirement on lees ageing among all the sparkling wines over the world including Champagne! With such a determination to produce the highest quality metodo classico (traditional method in Italian) sparkling wines, Franciacorta is certainly a DON’T MISS wine for any serious sparkling wine lovers.

This Brut Rosé made by Mosnel, a five generation boutique producer located in the heart of Franciacorta, is made of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinto Bianco with at least 24 months on lees in the 17 th -Century cellars of this historical winery. It has bright pale salmon color. A very pleasant nose of strawberry, blood orange, Sicilian lemon and jasmine tea complimented by toasty, brioche, and a hint of smoky note. The palate is focused with fine and persistent pétillant. It has medium body with concentrated fruit flavours but at the same time maintains the freshness backed by the bright acidity and mineral salinity. The finish is long, almost 20 seconds, with red fruits mingled with bitter citrus, savoury and almond-like nutty nuances.

The wine is very versatile in terms of food pairing, which can go well with a large variety of Cantonese cuisines, particularly those savoury dishes. Examples include all kinds of sea food dishes, various types of Dim Sum like Shrimp Dumplings (蝦餃), Spring Rolls (春卷), Siu Mai (steamed pork dumplings) (燒賣), and Chiu Chow style of Marinated Goose (潮州鹵水鵝). As we have just celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival, I can’t help thinking of it as a perfect match with the Shanghai style of savory (pork) mooncakes (鮮肉月餅). However, as this Rosé has fantastic concentration of fruit, it can challenge some richer flavoured cuisine like the classic Stir-fried Beef Noodles (乾炒牛河) I chose this time. The brilliant acidity of the wine helps to cut through the oiliness of the dish while its fruity and savoury flavours match seamlessly with the beef with soy sauce in the dish. Also, the toasty and smoky sensation of the wine echoes perfectly with the slightly smoky flavour of the browning noodles caused by stir-firing in the hot iron wok. Really a yummy pairing which I urge you to give a try!