Trentodoc, Sparkling Wine From The Mountains

You know how fresh mountain air makes you feel more alive? Clean crisp and cool, nothing is more invigorating! And that’s exactly what it does for grapes too. Vineyards planted in alpine areas, surrounded by steep mountains, are blessed with warm sunny days and cold nights. This large diurnal range helps grapes ripen in a balanced way with warm daytime temperatures aiding ripening and cool nights preserving aromas, freshness and acidity.

Northern Italy boasts many mountainous wine regions, with Trentino, in the northeast, a prime example, surrounded by the breathtaking Dolomites mountains. Here you will discover a long winemaking history, and the country’s first traditional-method (metodo classico in Italian) sparkling wines.

It was in the early 1900s that pioneering winemaker Giulio Ferrari, founder of Ferrari winery, first imported Chardonnay grapes to the area. Based on what he learned during extensive travels to European wine regions, particularly Champagne, Ferrari became certain that Trentino could produce equally exciting wines. And the winery he founded over 100 years ago remains one of the top producers of Trentodoc, recognized for its elegant style of sparkling wine.

Learn more about Ferrari wines here

Today, there are 63 sparkling wine producers from the Trentino DOC, now trademarked as Trentodoc. The producers are young (or young-in-spirit!), with the reputation for being open-minded and generous. They are both large and small producers, each different from the other, but united by a single common trait: quality.

A Fine Place For Bubbly

Trentodoc wine comes from vineyards grown between 650 and 3,000 feet above sea level, where the diurnal temperature variations gives the grapes aromatic complexity, elegance, and acidity. And despite the area’s northern latitude (46 degrees), the vineyard-planted valleys and hillsides get enough sunlight and warmth to ripen the grapes.

Additionally, the soils are perfect for grape growing: well-drained and filled with limestone, gravel, sand and clay. This lends the wines great nuances in aroma as well as ripe-fruit opulence, intense aromatics that are balanced by a purity of fruit and bracingly fresh acidity.

These complex, age-worthy sparkling wines, with their very fine, persistent bubbles pair effortlessly with many foods, from salads and cheeses, to pasta with seafood, as well as full-flavored dishes like roasted duck with cherries or pork loin with caramelized onions and apples.

Awards

The Trentino wine region, which includes Trentodoc sparkling wine, was awarded “Wine Region of the Year” in 2020 by Wine Enthusiast magazine. In October of 2021, Trentodoc was one of the most awarded Italian sparkling wines at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships.

Trentodoc Wines to Look For

Cesarini Sforza Brut NV - 100% Chardonnay with inviting aromas of buscuits and lemons. A mouthwatering wine, elegant, textured and with a long finish.

Moser 51,151 Brut NV - 100% Chardonnay; rich but not heavy due to the bright acidity and chalky minerality. Finishes with a delightful touch of earthiness.

Ferrari Perlé Brut 2016 - Aromas of lemon curd, green apple and toast carry through to the palate with hints of hazelnuts; a weighty wine with a creamy texture, very fine bubbles and long finish.

Endrizzi Piancastello Zero 2017 - One of the oldest wineries in Trentino. Zero dosage, meaning no added sugars. Super dry yet with beautifully subtle biscuit notes; a delicious, big-body style wine with a very long finish.

Letrari Riserva Dosaggio Zero 2015 - Another dry, zero dosage but fruitier than the Endrizzi, with plenty of biscuity yeasty notes; weighty and rich, with a persistent and pleasantly bitter finish that complements the wine’s fruitiness.

Cantine Monfort Le Général Dallemagne 2015 - Subtle and wonderful; on the palate, biscuity with golden apple and stone fruits, very good structured backbone and a beautiful long finish.

Revì Cavaliere Nero Rosé 2015 - 100% Pinot Noir with a dark salmony color; aged six years on the lees and therefore very aromatic, and, on the palate, big: full-bodied and slightly smoky, with delicious notes of ripe fruits (stone fruit and citrus fruits), excellent acidity.

Maso Martis Monsieur Martis Rosé de Noir 2017 - Very aromatic (red berry fruits) with a creamy texture and notes of raspberry, wild strawberry, preserved lemon and pastry; balanced, harmonious, with a very fine bubble.