Guido Berlucchi

Borgonato, Franciacorta, 1950.

Guido Berlucchi, a country gentleman, produced a white wine, Pinot del Castello, so called because the grapes came from the vineyards of the small castle he owned.
To remedy the wine's lack of stability, he consulted a young and enthusiastic oenologist, Franco Ziliani, who had just graduated from the Oenological School in Alba (Langhe, Cuneo). Ziliani solved the problem and confided to Berlucchi his dream: to produce a sparkling wine in Franciacorta that could compete with Champagne.

Ziliani and Berlucchi were joined by Giorgio Lanciani, a friend and colleague of the latter, and in 1954 Guido Berlucchi & C was established. In 1961, the first three thousand bottles of the classic method were made: the few lucky tasters were struck by the elegance of the wine, which Ziliani named 'Pinot di Franciacorta'. A winning intuition: the toponym Franciacorta appeared on a wine label for the first time.

In the years that followed, public acclaim grew hand in hand with the company's production, which was enriched with new labels such as Max Rosé, Italy's first 'pink' sparkling wine.
The trio of founders had set themselves the objective of producing a classic method with an excellent quality/price ratio, which could spread the pleasure of celebrating and munching with Italian bubbles: an ambitious goal. Still, it is achieved if you think that every seven seconds in the world a bottle of Berlucchi is uncorked!

The Borgonato-based company has been able to renew itself over time, adopting technological advances and fostering new winemaking knowledge, sometimes contributing to its experience.

Gambero Rosso named Berlucchi Winery of the Year 2022.

In addition:
- The Berlucchi '61 Franciacorta Rosé has been included in Wine Spectator's TOP 100 Wines 2021, as well as the only Italian Classic Method featured
- The Berlucchi '61 Franciacorta Rosé NV Magnum has been certified "Best in Class" in the "Franciacorta Rosé NV" category by "The Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Competition 2021" (CSWWC), conceived by Tom Stevenson

In 2023, the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Champions (CSWWC) by Tom Stevenson awarded the following products:

- '61 Franciacorta Extra Brut NV: Gold Medal
- '61 Franciacorta Rosè NV: Gold Medal
- '61 Franciacorta Rosè NV Magnum: Gold Medal
- '61 Franciacorta Saten NV: Gold Medal