Do you genuinely enjoy sparkling wine, or are you seduced by the messaging and imagery of sparkling wine? Put another way: Do you like Champagne the wine, or Champagne the idea? It’s okay if it’s the latter—they’re very good at messaging and imagery—but if it’s the former, today’s wine from Italy’s Trentino region deserves your attention.
Why? Well, it’s an all-Chardonnay sparkler made in the “Champagne method” (
Método Classico in Italian), sourced from high-elevation vineyards in the foothills of the Dolomites, aged more than 24 months on its lees. The only things it doesn’t have are the word “Champagne” on the label and the higher price that accompanies that. Yes, you might find delicious Italian Prosecco at this price point or below, but this wine, and the Trentodoc DOC appellation, is something else entirely—different grape, different terroir, different methodology. It’s got all the serious sparkling wine credentials, it just requires a closer look at what’s inside the bottle: At this price, it is simply impossible to ignore—if you’ve got any large-scale holiday gatherings planned, this is the sparkler that will elevate your game without breaking your budget.
“Trentodoc” is the somewhat awkward name for the sparkling wine appellation covering most of Italy’s Trentino region, which consists of a single province straddling the Adige River, centered on the city of Trento. Trentino and the neighboring Alto Adige (a.k.a. Südtirol) are typically linked to one another as a single administrative ‘state’ in Italy, but, while they share the Adige River Valley, walled in by mountains on either side, there’s a lot to distinguish them, both culturally and viticulturally—the big distinction on the wine side being Trentino’s reputation as a sparkling wine region.
The establishment of Trento as a sparkling wine hub started with Giulio Ferrari, a winemaker whose name still graces the label of one of Italy’s most internationally recognized sparklers. In the early 1900s, while working as the enologist for the San Michele all’Adige Agricultural Institute (one of Italy’s top wine schools), Ferrari took a study trip to France and was inspired to introduce Champagne-method sparkling wine production to his home region. It wasn’t until much later that Trento was recognized as an officially delimited appellation, or DOC (1993), with the Ferrari winery as one of its anchor tenants (the Ferrari brand and winery was acquired by the Lunelli family along the way, and they continue to be a prominent force in Trentodoc wine). Today, 49 different producers are members of the regional producers’ association, which is known as the Istituto Trento Doc.
The “rules” for producing Trentodoc sparklers are very similar to those for Champagne: The approved grape varieties are the same (although Trentodoc allows for the use of Pinot Bianco along with Chardonnay and Pinots Noir/Meunier); and the dosage (sugar additions) and lees-aging requirements are in line with Champagne as well. The Cesarini Sforza estate is one of the region’s early adopters, having been founded in 1974, and today the winery collaborates with the innovative local cooperative, Cantina La Vis, to produce its range of sparklers (having access to La Vis’ network of growers has widened Sforza’s network and enabled them to expand their lineup).
Today’s Método Classico Brut is 100% Chardonnay sourced from high-elevation (300-700 meters) sites in three key Trentino subzones: Colline Avisiane (north of Trento), Valle di Cembra, and Valsugana. The soils up here are a mix of loamy sand, limestone, and mineral-rich porphyry, lending the wines a backbone not often found in non-Champagne sparklers. Aged more than two years on its lees, this NV Brut displays a bright golden core with silver and copper reflections, with a very fine ‘bead’ of bubbles (while I’m not sure, its delicate effervescence suggests that it was bottled at a slightly lower atmospheric pressure than a typical Champagne). It is brightly aromatic, offering up inviting notes of green and yellow apple, citrus pith, lemon balm, wildflower honey, herbal tea, and rising bread dough. It falls at the crisper, more citrusy ‘apéritif’ end of the sparkling spectrum, finishing with lots of florals and a delicate wet-stone minerality. Given where it comes from, I’d suggest serving it at 45-50 degrees in all-purpose white wine stems (we aren’t much for flutes around here) paired with some typical products of the region. Get yourself some classic
speck (seasoned, smoked prosciutto) and put together the simple recipe attached. We’re talking total Tyrolean typicity here. Enjoy!
