International promotion and major events in the territory, the Franciacorta “case history”

In just a few years, a relatively young territory such as Franciacorta, which today puts together 3,000 hectares of vineyards, 123 wineries, for 20 million bottles, and an estimated turnover of 500 million euros, has become a point of reference for Metodo Classico sparkling wines in Italy, with wines positioned in the top end of the market, as well as one of the most successful territories for wine tourism. With a territorial reputation and of the Franciacorta brand that is becoming more and more established, in Italy, where it is the bulk of the market for the appellation, but also in the world, where it is growing, also thanks to a communication strategy that sees on the one hand investing in major events, of the territory and not only, anchored of course to wine, but also to entertainment, sports, fashion, good food and more, and open to the great participation of a varied and transversal public, and on the other hand partnerships with major events of international caliber. As well recounted, in recent days, the concomitance of the “Festival Franciacorta”, in the territory, and the promotional initiative that brought the bubbles of Franciacorta, but also its gastronomic excellence, to Los Angeles, for the very famous “Emmy Awards”, the Oscars of American TV, of which Franciacorta is “Official Sparkling Wine”.
A very successful territory, the one that develops between the hills of Brescia and Lake Iseo. A success that is not accidental, “that comes from a very vocated territory that we inherited, and for this we have no credit, but also from the great work that in this land of farmers and entrepreneurs has been done to enhance our products, to grow quality, but also to tell what this extraordinary land has to offer, in addition to wine of course, and to enhance the whole territory”, as said, to WineNews, Silvano Brescianini, president of the Consortium of Franciacorta, in celebrating precisely 25 years of the “Festival Franciacorta”, one of the longest-running and most structured territory events designed for the public, born in 2000, with the participation of just over 30 wineries, and which in 2024 saw more than double that number participate, and capable of attracting to the territory leader, in terms of values and volumes, of Italian Metodo Classico sparkling wine, more than 25,000 visitors in just a few days, including winery tastings, picnics in the vineyard, yoga, concerts, horse or bike rides, cultural moments and more, involving a diverse audience of young people, more mature people, groups of friends and families.
But which also questions a future that is made of innovation, sustainability, digital and the human factor, as explained, in recent days, in a conference, by many “past presidents” of the Consortium, and by experts in communication and tourism, such as, among others, Andrea Bariselli, an expert in “neuropsychology of tourism”, and Roberta Milano, an expert in gastronomic tourism, university professor and scientific coordinator topic “Food & Wine Tourism” Bto-Be travel life. A long journey, that of the Festival, which began with a few wineries and then grew over the years, as recalled by several “past presidents” of the Consortium such as Claudio Faccoli (2000-2003) and Ezio Majolini (2003-2009), and which has spanned, so far, a quarter of a century. Period in which “the world has changed”, Brescianini recalled, “because 25 years ago opening a winery to the public was not usual, but extraordinary, while today the wine tourism experience has become increasingly important for contact with the consumer and to communicate the territory. Franciacorta has so many beauties and uniquenesses to enhance, it goes without saying that the winery reception goes in the direction of enhancing the territory. Which is not a territory that is content, we have many projects on the territory and international, technical and communication, as evidenced by our presence these days in Los Angeles, for the “Emmy Awards”, where we brought not only our wines. but also the cuisine of the territory, to make us known to a wider audience other than wine enthusiasts. And we are excited about the last edition of the “Festival Franciacorta”, which exceeded all expectations. This event”, Brescianini said again, “is always a special moment for us, a unique opportunity to open the doors of our wineries and welcome visitors from all over the world. During its weekend, we had the opportunity to share not only our wines, but also the beauty of our territory, its culture, history and food and wine. Seeing the guests’ enthusiasm and growing interest in Franciacorta is a source of great pride for us and confirms the value of our efforts. Imagining the future today is not easy”, Brescianini said, “but we are used to doing difficult things. We must always remember where we started, 30 years ago to think of becoming the leading territory of the Italian Metodo Classico was utopia, instead we have become the strongest in terms of quantity and bottle value. And we still need to raise the bar: only by investing in quality in a serious way can we grow and move forward. With fixed points. One is sustainability: we are farmers, we have a daily duty to relate to the land and protect it, and we already have projects in the field on issues such as functional biodiversity. Another is the relationship with the territory: we sell wine and territory, we also bring with us the cuisine, the culture, the beauty, and the relationship with local institutions is fundamental, including with the Strada del Franciacorta, and with the mayors who work to open villas, castles, beautiful places for visitors. We have an area made up of great farmers, but also great entrepreneurs, who have brought their know-how and the concept that to grow and improve you have to invest. We will start promotion projects in Europe and the East, we will work with universities not only in Italy, but internationally, for example, for functional biodiversity. What we are interested in is to understand things, to know them, and to bring information and knowledge to our members to grow quality and sustainability”.
And to grow even an event like the “Festival Franciacorta”, a virtuous “case history” of a phenomenon such as wine tourism that has changed profoundly over the years and goes far beyond wine tasting or visiting a winery, as Brescianini recalled, however, one must know how to interpret the great changes, social in general, and sectoral, that we are experiencing. As Roberta Milano recalled, “we had a momentous event like Covid, which changed our lives, and perhaps we are not yet aware of the effects on a personal level, but in tourism the aftermath, even positive ones, are there and how. And food and wine tourism is growing because it incorporates some changes: more attention to sustainability, in a broad sense, but to be looked at carefully, because, for example, a Booking report says that tourists are starting to not believe in it as much, unless it is well told and verified. And it is an important value, that of sustainability, a great strength and communication point, but we need guarantees to offer the consumer. Sustainability also needs to be told with numbers, rationally, not just by cultivating the dream. Then”, continued Roberta Milano, “there is the big issue of experiential tourism, of human contact, which is fundamental. When planning a wine tourism activity, there are technical aspects to consider, such as the variety of offerings, to intercept a variety of tourists who change by culture, spending capacity, age, type and so on, but the storytelling and the ability to convey the human element is fundamental, always, and when it works it is always a winner. And then there is the issue of digital and social to tell the story at all times and stay in touch with the consumer, of big data and Artificial Intelligence: these are tools to which we delegate what technology can do better than people, to focus precisely more on doing better what the human being is not replaceable in”.
With wine tourism that can also become a tool to conserve a territory, or to accompany its changes, and to stem that peculiar feeling that, according to Andrea Bariselli, is “solastalgia”, a term that describes the sense of malaise that invades us when the environment around us has been violated, destroyed, abandoned. “We are victims of the constant search for happiness, the search for the exotic. The most important thing is to be able to see beauty in the details, in the small things. I was born here in Franciacorta. I traveled the world, but then I came back here”, Bariselli explained, “and still today I see places, behind the house, of stunning beauty. The difficult thing is to decide what to tell about this land to people who have never been here, and the details make all the difference. It is difficult to tell about the changing world, and also about this land. And starting from the roots is crucial. There are places that go from places of passage to destinations, for example. We have to tell so many things. Today, for example, of a product we know well how much it costs, but not how much it is worth: it is a huge cultural gap. Let’s think about a simple glass of wine, which comes from the connection with the land. This is a huge value yet to be told”.