New president for Franciacorta Consorzio

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 22 December, 2015

Franciacorta Consorzio, the governing body of the Franciacorta premium Italian sparkling wine region, has elected Vittorio Moretti, owner of Bellavista and Contadi Castaldi, as its president.

Moretti succeeds Maurizio Zanella of Ca' del Bosco, who has led the consortium for the past seven years.

Under Zanella's leadership, Franciacorta has grown substantially and now produces 16 million bottles a year.

Sales of Franciacorta wines grew by 9.6% in 2014, with domestic sales up 8.5% and exports growing 17.4%.

Exports now account for 12.6% of all Franciacorta sales.

The UK accounts for 7.5% of total exports, a 140% increase in share since 2013, when the consortium opened a trade office in London.

The consortium has focused considerable effort on developing and promoting the Franciacorta brand, with some 86% of Franciacorta's revenue in 2015 invested in marketing the brand in both domestic and international markets.

Vittorio Moretti said: "I am very excited to take on the role as president of Franciacorta and I hope to continue our progressive work in developing our viniculture and oenological knowledge, with a special focus on the environment and the landscape of our beautiful region.

I also endeavour to continue Maurizio's incredible work in positioning Franciacorta as not only a sparkling wine, but a lifestyle choice."

The Franciacorta Consorzio has also re-elected its board of directors, as it does every seven years.

As a result, Silvano Brescianini, chief executive of Barone Pizzini, has been elected as vice president.

Franciacorta's wine makers were the first in Italy to use the traditional method of secondary in-bottle fermentation for their sparkling wine.

The Franciacorta region is in Lombardy. It achieved DOCG status in 1995.

The Franciacorta Consorzio now has 115 wine-producers as members.

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