Gold Medal to Casa delle Colonne Brut Riserva 2015 and a medal to all Freccianera wines tasted by the jury.
The IWSC Global Judging Producer Trophies were introduced in 2024 to recognise standout producers from each regional judging. They are the only awards in the world where judges visit the producers and the latest editions have been held in Austria, South Africa and Georgia.
The first Italian IWSC evaluation event by production region, with Franciacorta as the protagonist, concluded in March at the Consortium headquarters in Erbusco. The jury, chaired by Essi Avellan, evaluated 87 wines with a wide range of styles – NV, Vintage and Riserve – awarding Freccianera the Franciacorta Wine Producer Trophy and seven medals, including the gold medal for Casa delle Colonne Brut Riserva 2015.
The judgment of the jury
In the official announcement recently released, Essi Avellan – the first Finnish Master of Wine and renowned international specialist in champagne and sparkling wines – gave an important endorsement to the winery with these words: “It’s thrilling to see one of the founding members of the Franciacorta Consortium performing so strongly at the IWSC’s first in-situ judging event in Franciacorta.
Every one of their wines impressed, which speaks to the Berlucchi family’s expertise and highlights the region’s promising potential. Wines such as the gold medal-winning Freccianera Casa delle Colonne Brut Riserva 2015 showcase the incontestable quality of Franciacorta’’.
Judges described the gold medal winning Freccianera Casa delle Colonne Brut Riserva 2015 as: “an expressive bouquet of ripe apple, yellow plum, and a hint of toasted almond, underpinned by a lively lemon zest. The palate reveals a dry, balanced profile with refreshing acidity and a touch of salty minerality. A creamy mousse adds depth, leading to a complex finish of orange skin and subtle spice, leaving an impression of elegance and vibrancy.”
The near future, beyond the awards
‘’Awards and recognitions are to us the evidence to be on the right path towards excellence – declared Nicola Berlucchi, CEO of the company in a meeting Food & Beverage – and 2025 will be a year of extraordinary commitments to quality, with important investments to further improve our production capacity: new presses for soft pressing, new tanks for mixing the cuvée, an automatic system for controlling fermentation temperatures and a new drip irrigation system for our vineyards, to be used in cases of prolonged drought, subject to approval by the Consortium’’.
Technologies and systems that will be operational from the 2025 harvest and completed in 2027, the centenary year of the winery, one of the few in Franciacorta owned by the same family since its foundation.
