Ferrari Trento: Bringing out the dazzle of sparkling wine

It was the 2016 Emmy awards that brought the owner of Ferrari Trento to Los Angeles but it was the after-party the following day where this Italian winery showed their true colors and expertise of creating a spectacular collection of sparkling wine. What made this event more extraordinary was the ambiance of the Bel Air Hotel, sitting on the patio and enjoying the specially prepared lunch cuisine paired to the wine by Wolfgang Puck.

Ferrari Trento was established in 1902 by Giulio Ferrari with a goal to showcase the potential that Italy has for making sparkling wine. Giulio was the first to plant Chardonnay in the region. In 1952 Giulio sold his winery to Bruno Lunelli, Now in its third generation, the Lunelli family has kept the tradition originally started by Giulio Ferrari. In fact, Matteo Lunell hosted our luncheon called Celebrating the art of Italian Living with Cantine Ferrari.

Ferrari Trento is located north of Venice in the Alps. In this mountain territory, the warm sun beats down on the vines while cold air brings in diurnal temperatures between night and day. The vineyards will be certified Organic in 2017. Currently, Ferrari Trento utilizes sustainable practices.

Growing primarily Chardonnay, which is planted on hillside slopes in the Trentino area of Italy. These high elevation vineyards produce a very crisp, dry wine. The fruit is hand-harvested. Utilizing the Metodo Classico, the grapes undergo a gentle pressing and first fermentation in the tank. Maturation for this wine is around five years on Ferrari’s own cultures of yeasts.

This Trento region DOC designation occurred in 1993. This was the first DOC in Italy for creating Metodo Classico wines.

Ferrari Trento produces four lines of Sparkling wines; the Classic Line, the Maximum Line, the Perlé Line, and the Reserva Line. Two of the lines were presented at our luncheon at the Bel Air Hotel.

Our tasting began with the 2007 Ferrari Perlé. Being a 2007 the sparkling wine still held its freshness. Perlé is a Blanc de Blanc made up of Chardonnay and bottle fermented. This wine complemented the appetizers selected for this event.

The 2008 Ferrari Perlé Rosé you might call a very berry sparkling wine. Red berries, especially raspberry are the predominant flavor. The wine is made up of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Nero. It was deliciously paired to House Made Wild Field Mushroom Tortelloni with Black Truffles.

For a more complex sparkling wine, the 2008 Ferrari Pearle Nero is the most impressive.   It is created with 100% Pinot Nero grapes. The flavors of almonds are very distinct in this wine.

Our tasting ended with a 2002 Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore. This sparkling wine pays homage to Ferrari’s original owner. Talking about freshness and quality over time. This wine certainly showed the aging potential for sparkling wine from Trento.

Sampling the four different Sparkling wines one could not miss the consistency in the crisp freshness that greeted every glass. Not only were these wines bright with a feminine elegance but also the dazzle of their tiny bubbles were ever-present. Any of the Ferrari brand lines will go well on any occasion. Ferrari Trento is the perfect sparkling wine to toast in the New Year.

Note: Common to the wine industry, this writer enjoyed a hosted wine luncheon that included the sparkling wines of Ferrari Trento. While it has not influenced this review, the writer believes in full disclosure.