I am standing in front of a golden, artistically forged and oversized gate. Have I arrived at the gates of heaven? Is this the passage to another world? I am so small and the brass circle is so large. Its full splendor and beauty shines in the sunlight. This work of art, "Hymn to the Sun", was created by the Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro. The bronze artist created a geometric body that breaks open and makes its inner workings visible to the viewer. Anyone standing right here feels that they are at the beginning of a path that allows them to discover a fascinating world full of extraordinary emotions. As if guided by a magical hand, the circle opens in the middle and I can pass by in my car. I follow the road with excitement. I am in the middle of forests, lush hills of Franciacorta in the heart of Lombardy and 160 hectares of vineyards, with bridges, streams and wonderful wine cellars. An area in the north of Italy and full of magic and myths. All around are small villages, stately villas and medieval castles. Here lies Ca' del Bosco, a magical theater where nature celebrates and exalts art.

Ca' del Bosco is one of the elite wine producers. It is an ultra-modern winery of superlatives in terms of architecture and technical infrastructure. Its founder, Maurizio Zanella, is a seasoned personality with a lot of wit and visionary flair. His statement:

Wine is not simply made in these cellars and rooms. They are true holy places, and the catacombs, which are built deep in the earth, are ideal for extremely long storage in barrels, barriques and bottles due to the naturally constant temperature and humidity. The wines grow and thrive in a meditative and sheltered atmosphere. Time stands still. Only this one, eternal moment counts. And again and again the smell of wine, oak and damp stone captivates me. I walk through the long, seemingly endless corridors with their many branches and rooms. Without a guide I would have gotten lost long ago. This cellar was laid out in a star shape. Its center is a seven-meter-high room similar to a cathedral. A helicopter landing pad was built above the cellar.

Franciacorta is a young Italian wine-growing region in Brescia, Lombardy, with DOC status since 1967. The wine thrives here particularly well due to the optimal location on mineral soils in the foothills of the Alps and the mild climate near Lake Iso. The region is famous for its sparkling wines. Franciacorta has its own denomination, and the laws here are even stricter than those for champagne production. Signor Zanella studied at the University of Oenology in Bordeaux. He brought in André Dubois, the cellar master of the famous champagne house Moët, as a consultant for his new vineyards. He produced his first spumante at the age of 17. Together with Angelo Gaja and Giacomo Bologna, he initiated the renaissance of Italian wine-growing in the 1980s. His flagship product is the DOCG sparkling wine Anna Maria Clementi, the base wine for which is pressed in a hand-operated, wooden press.

This white sparkling wine is produced in all the usual variants - Cuvée Prestige Brut, Brut Vintage, Brut Dosage Zéro, Satèn and also as Cuvée Prestige Rosé. The grapes used are Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco. Maurizio Zanella leaves nothing to chance. A wine has around 500 ingredients, 300 of which can be defined. They are analyzed and tested in his laboratories. Quality is a top priority here - you can feel that in every detail on our tour.

Reto, Gianni and Luca Verganis' fine noses and palates taste various sparkling wines, the barrel-fermented Chardonnay and the Elfo made from predominantly native white grape varieties. Which wine is the best is debatable. It is our individual preferences that let us decide. My favourite is the Satèn vintage sparkling wine. Ca' del Bosco created it for the first time in 1980 as a special interpretation of a Franciacorta: the harmonious combination of only white grapes, without Pinot Nero. The rising bubbles of the fine perlage hide a little secret: at the time of tirage, when sugar and yeast are added to the base wine so that bottle fermentation can begin, less sugar is added to the Satèn than to the other Franciacorta sparkling wines. I find it so wonderfully sparkling. It is bursting with femininity. It is smooth, lush, ripe, soft and round. It is a delight for the senses, but also contains tones full of sensuality. Satèn - the femininity and elegance of silk, with a barely perceptible structure and fineness of the fabric - it makes all the senses vibrate...