Ferrari Fratelli Lunelli

A pioneer in premium Italian traditional method sparkling wine production, founded by Giulio Ferrari, an oenologist at the Fondazione Mach noticed orographic and climatic similarities between Champagne and Trentino. After graduating from the Forschungsanstalt für Garten- und Weinbau in Geisenheim/Rheingau, Germany, he gained his Champagne winemaking experience in Epernay. In 1902 he returned home to Trento with Chardonnay grapes to produce sparkling Trentino wine.

In 1952, Giulio Ferrari, a man with no heir sold his small Trento winery to Bruno Lunelli and the rest is history. In 2016 Ferrari's Brut won the prestigious "Best Italian Sparkling Wine" & "World Champion Classic Blanc de Blancs" at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championship. In 2021, sparkling wine producer Ferrari has taken over Chandon and Carbon's spot as the official supplier of the F1 winners sparkling wine.  We'll arrange a VIP visit at Ferrari when you reserve a tour.

Cavit

Cavit is an award winning winery and the largest consortium of Cooperatives in the Trento Doc region founded in 1950 group covering 60% of the grape-growing land in Trentino that incorporates 11 cooperative wineries in Trentino and over 5,000 winegrowers. Cavit gathers, inspects and selects raw materials produced by the associated wineries, controlling at every stage of the winemaking harvest, process and marketing.  It owns one of the most highly advanced mechanised bottling plants in the world, with a completely automated bottling delivery process run by robots powered by photovoltaic panels that guarantees zero environmental impact. Cavit does very exciting geo thermal mapping to helps its growers learn about the constant changing landscape through daily plot specific sms messages.

Grapes

Only Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier with Pinot blanc are permitted, and they must be grown in a well-defined area within the Province of Trento. For still wines, white grapes dominate with Pinot Grigio followed by Chardonnay and Müller-Thurgau. Other white varieties grown are Sauvignon, Pinot Bianco and Nosiola. For red wine production, Teroldego, Merlot, Marzemino and Pinot Nero are the main grapes followed by local varietals of Schiava, and Lagrein.  

The best Proseccos are from the Cartizze denomination, southwest of Valdobbiadene. Steep vineyards here have very low yields and produce wines considered more powerful and sweeter than other Proseccos with refreshing creamy notes of fresh peach, lemon, apple, flowers, and honey.

Terroir

The two major growing areas are Val di Cembra with more volcanic soil and Valle dei Laghi closer to Lake Garda and shows more of a Mediterranean climate. The soil is a stony limestone in the higher elevations and moraine deposits lower down. Trento DOC comes from vineyards grown between 200 and 900 meters above sea level, in an environment characterized by mountain air, high-altitude vineyards and 300 days of sunlight which creates hot days and cool nights during the growing season that allow for optimum grape ripening. The soils have good drainage and aeration, as they are rich in limestone and silica.  The Alpine, Continental, and Mediterranean climate contributes to defining the Trento DOC character. The cool winds from the Dolomites minimizes the exposure to rot and fungus, and combined with the mild Mediterranean temperature from Lake Garda form distinct characteristics, and the diurnal temperature variations, allow the grapes to develop acidity and great aromatic complexity, elegance, and bright acidity.

History

The region's wine culture is amongst the oldest in Europe with grape seed finds going back to 3,000BC and further. The history of classic method sparkling wine begins in the mid-1800s, but it wasn’t until the early 1900s that the Trentino classic method became known to more a wider audience. In 1993 the classic method wine earned D.O.C. status, a certification that guarantees the quality of the production process, quality grapes, time and origins of the product. Trento DOC was the first wine to be classified as Classic Method in Italy, and one of the first in the world.

Trento Wine Adventures

A wine and wellness visit to Trentino-Alto Adige / South Tyrol offers an extraordinary cultural exploration of Italian cuisine, cafés and architecture and German formality in every season. Winery visits and tastings, can be combined with Alpine skiing in the winter and hiking, skiing, golfing, in the summer. Wellness hotels offer modern spas and beauty treatments guaranteeing regeneration for body, mind and soul.

Trento DOC connects to the Alto Adige wine route an area characterised by 20 varieties of grapes and a wide range of altitudes, microclimates and soil. Wine lovers can discover local variety Lagrein and Vernatsch, Gewürztraminer plus Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir.

Routes can connect to our sparkling wine routes in Kemptal (Vienna), Franciacorta (Milan) and Prosecco (Venice). Otherwise, we can pick you up in Verona or Innsbruck, which you can reach by train or private car transfer with optional stops in Padua, Vicenza, Verona from Venice or Salzburg from Vienna.

Multi Region Journeys