The sparkling wines of the Trentodoc in Northeastern Italy are unique and worth exploring. Below are 6 wines from the Trentodoc which I had at a recent tasting.
The Trentodoc wine area is surrounded by the Dolomite Mountains. Some of Italy’s finest sparkling wines as well as some of the best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are produced here. The vines are grown mainly using the Trentino pergola training system and are grown at an altitude of 200 to 800 meters. With global warming, this may be the only area where grapes can be planted higher up and the temperature is cooler. This is the only region where sparkling wines are produced in the mountains.
The grapes used to make Trentodoc are Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Nero and Pinot Meunier. The grapes are harvested by hand and the base wine is aged slowly in the bottle on the lees for a minimum 15 months for a brut wine, to a minimum of 36 months for a riserva. The producers of all of the wines we tasted aged their wines far longer on the lees than the minimum allowed by law.
Giulio Ferrari was the first to produce high quality Metodo Classico sparkling wine in Trento in the early 20th Century. Trentodoc was the first officially recognized Metodo Classico in Italy and among the first in the world.
The Istituto Trento DOC was founded in 1984 and now represents 67 sparkling wine producers, and is the brand’s promoter.
Their symbol has two ‘0’s that resemble the bottom of a bottle being rotated, a distinction of sparkling Metodo Classico production. Today the Trentodoc trademark can be found on each of the 300 hundred labels of the 67 sparkling cellars.
The Sparkling Wines of Trento DOC
Trento DOC Ferrari “Perlè” Methodo Classico 2017 made from 100% organic Chardonnay from vineyards at 300 to 700 meters with a southeast or southwesterly exposure. The soil is loose, not too deep, and made of volcanic and glacial deposits. There are 4,500 to 5,500 plants per hectare. Harvest is by hand from the middle of September. Fermentation and aging is in stainless steel and the wine remains on the lees for 6 months. This is an elegant well-balanced wine with hints of apple, almonds, and a touch of brioche. I was very impressed by this wine. Residual sugar is 6g/l.
Rotari “Flacio” Riserva” 2015 made from Chardonnay grapes harvested and picked by hand in the best suited vineyards on the hills of Valle dell’Adige. Only the best grapes can become part of the special cuvée destined to make Flavio. The soil plots are carefully selected according to the vintage at altitudes ranging from 820 to 2,600 feet a.s.l. and boast a good balance of clay and lime which gives the grapes power and minerality. Maturation on the yeast for at least 60 months. Vinification: Only a part of the wine is allowed to ferment in barrique, so that the hints of wood give the base wine a delicate aromatic and sensory richness, maintaining its balance and freshness. In the cellar, the passing of time performs magic: the bottle’s particular curvature, designed to let yeast deposit only on a small surface, leads to an even slower organoleptic evolution. A prolonged resting period of several months enriches the wine with bubbles and ennobles its aromas, to the point of exulting its union with the expedition liqueur.
Note: The name Flavio is the honorific title taken by the Lombard King Rotari to evoke imperial Roman and Byzantine prestige. The name is emblematic, chosen to celebrate a wine that embodies the most prestigious expression of Rotari’s Metodo Classico style. The wine has hints of citrus fruit, apricot, peaches, honey, a note of yeast and a touch of hazelnut.
Rosè Brut Cantine Monfort made from 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir from hilly slopes of Trento and Pergine Valsugana at 400 to 600 meters. The soil is clay porphyry and sandy and the training system is guyot. Traditional winemaking method carried out in accordance with the disciplined process named Trento DOC Metodo Classico; refined on the lees for 30 months. This is an intense and complex wine with fruity hints of strawberry, red apple, lemon, a hint of jasmine and a touch of toast.
Dosaggio Zero Cantina Isera 907 made from 100% Chardonnay. The vineyard is at 500 to 600 meters and the training system is pergola/espalier. The soil consists of glacial deposits of various origin, mainly carbonatic with basalt compounds and local basalt. The soil is tendentially deep, with sandy loamy texture, and diffused skeleton mainly consisting of gravel and mostly loamy sands. Training system is simple Pergola Trentina/ guyot and the harvest is by hand in September. White wine vinification with soft pressing of the grapes and subsequent fermentation in steel and barrel. Partial malolactic fermentation takes place. After a least six months of aging with yeasts in the cellar, the bottle fermentation takes place. The wine ages on the lees for 40 months. Disgorgement takes place takes place and the bottle is refilled without sugar fully respecting the character and expression of the cuvee.
Metodo Classico Brut Cesarini Sforza made from 100% Chardonnay from the Colline Avisiane, Valle di Cembra and Valsugana. The vineyards are at 350 to 700 meters and the exposure is south/southwest. Soil is loamy with pockets of limestone and porphyric soil. The first fermentation is in stainless steel tanks and then a secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle. The wine remains on the lees for 24 to 36 months before disgorgment. The wine has hints of apples, peaches, and citrus fruit with a hint of lemon and a touch of toasted almond.
Brut Natural 2017 Moser made from 100% Chardonnay from the Maso Warth and the Cembra Valley. The dolomitic rocks, the Ora del Garda wind, the pergola and guyot trellising system at Maso Warth are perfectly complemented by the chalky soils, terraced pergolas, warm days and cold nights of the Cembra Valley. The blending of the base wines from the different Chardonnay vineyards is a key factor in reaching the balance in the Brut Nature. They want to complement the structure and sapidity of the Maso Warth base wines with the freshness, acidity and notes of golden apple that mark the base wines from the Cembra valley. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks and gives rise to an extreme wine that ages for many months on the lees. When disgorged, the bottles are topped up with wine from the same batch and no added sugar. The wine has hints of apple, white flowers, yeast, citrus fruit with a long finish and pleasing aftertaste.