Lombardy is better known for Milan, fashion, and finance than for wine, but that reputation sells it short. This northern region holds some of Italy's most distinctive wines, from the celebrated sparkling of Franciacorta to the heroic mountain reds of Valtellina and the fresh lakeside whites of Lugana. What ties them together is variety: few Italian regions offer so many different styles within such a short drive of a major city.
Faccoli
When the Faccoli brothers began to make sparkling wine, they were only twenty. Franciacorta Faccoli wines are most recognized by their minimal sugar dosage, which is always very low. But Dry Sparkling Wines are not ...
Explore Faccoli →Climate & Terroir
Lombardy's wine zones sit in very different landscapes. Franciacorta and the south shore of Lake Garda enjoy a temperate climate moderated by their lakes, which soften the summers and winters and help the grapes ripen evenly. Valtellina, in the far north against the Swiss border, is genuinely Alpine, with vines grown on steep, sun-facing terraces high above the valley floor. Oltrepò Pavese, south of the Po, is a zone of gentle hills with a warmer, more continental feel.
The soils are as varied as the climates, from the glacial gravels of Franciacorta to the granite and schist terraces of Valtellina. In every case, the best sites are chosen to balance ripeness with the freshness and acidity these wines depend on.
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The Wine Zones
Franciacorta, near Lake Iseo, is the region's flagship. It makes Italy's benchmark traditional-method sparkling wine from Chardonnay, Pinot Nero, and Pinot Bianco, using the same technique as Champagne. It was the first Italian sparkling wine to earn DOCG status, and its rolling, manicured vineyards are studded with prestigious estates.
Valtellina is one of Italy's great mountain wine regions. Nebbiolo, known here as Chiavennasca, is grown on thousands of kilometers of hand-built dry-stone terraces, producing elegant reds in the subzones of Sassella, Grumello, Inferno, and Valgella, plus the concentrated, dried-grape Sforzato.
Oltrepò Pavese, in the hills south of Pavia, is one of Italy's most important homes for Pinot Nero, made both as still red and as traditional-method sparkling. It is the least touristed of Lombardy's wine zones and rewards the curious.
Lugana, on the south shore of Lake Garda, is a white-wine zone. The local Turbiana grape makes fresh, mineral wines that pair naturally with the lake's fish and the easy pace of the resort towns nearby.
Food & Culture
Lombardy's food shifts with its landscapes. Around Franciacorta and Brescia, the cooking is refined and pairs beautifully with sparkling wine. In the mountains of Valtellina it turns hearty and warming, built on buckwheat pizzoccheri, air-dried bresaola, and rich mountain cheeses. On Lake Garda, the table turns to lake fish, olive oil, and the light, sunny dishes of the shore. In each zone, the local wine is the natural match.