Franciacorta sets its sights on the UK

My first encounter with Maurizio Zanella, the ebullient president of the Consorzio di Franciacorta, Italy's most serious take on traditional-method sparkling wine and owner of one of the region's most iconic estates, Ca' del Bosco, was a couple of years ago in London. During a fine lunch at which he presented his wines at the Milanese styled L'Anima restaurant near Liverpool Street (all glass and white marble), he mentioned off-handedly that Italy has been producing quality wine for only 50 years.

I assumed that he was referring merely to his own Franciacorta region, which did not come into being until the 1960s...