Purchase a Ferrari for less than $25

If you can’t afford to own the automobile Ferrari, why not buy the next best thing, Ferrari sparkling wines from Trento D.O.C.?

For more than 100 years, since 1902, Ferrari, using the Metodo Classico,  has been the premier sparkling wine of Italy.

In 1906, Ferrari won its first Gold Medal at the International Exhibition in Milan. Since the early days, Ferrari has been recognized as a leader in the Italian sparkling industry.

In fact, after receiving “Three Glasses” from Gambero Rosso, the guide suggested the Ferrari sparkling wines are “the best sparkling wines in Italy and also one of the best in the world.” This is high praise for the wine icon.

The legend of Ferrari is with us today.

Did you happen to see Woody Allen’s To Rome with Love? If you did, you would have noticed Mr. Allen himself pouring a bottle of Ferrari.

The history of the company starts with Giulio Ferrari, its founder. His dream was to create a wine in Italy modeled after the finest French Champagne.

Giulio was a skilled enologist who had studied at the prestigious School of Viticulture in Montpellier (France). He studied Champagne making and returned to Alto Adiage (Trento) with Chardonnay cuttings, the first in Italy.

In 1902, he started to produce high-end sparkling wine at ridiculously high prices, yet sold out each vintage. The Champagne Method from France was his model. Years of study, research and dedication paid off. He was the toast of the town, with great wines, low production.

Flash forward to 1952 when Bruno Lunelli, owner of Trento’s best-known wine bar, agreed to take over and grow Ferrari’s operation, keep Giulio on staff and increase production to meet the demand.

His entrepreneurial skills, in short time, reached production of 100,000 bottles.

Since those days and the passing of Giulio Ferrari, Bruno’s sons, Mauro, Gino and Franco, have guided the company to its esteemed position.

Today, the third generation of the Lunelli family, Matteo, Camilla (the first female) and Marcello, guide the 21st century family-owned company into the future.

The winery is located near famed Lake Garda, at the foothills of the Alps.
I visited the region two years ago, after Vinitaly, and witnessed the natural beauty of the sloping vineyards. The region is unlike others.

It took my breath away.

The mountains in this region (Trentino) are beneficial to the grape. The elevation (up to 2,300 feet) benefits the crispness of the wine and helps create the unique expression Ferrari sparkling wines are known for.

The first Ferrari I sampled was the NV Ferrari Brut D.O.C. This is the original, first produced in 1902. Hand-harvested Chardonnay grapes are used exclusively for the production. This is the real ‘Classic’ Ferrari Brut that has been the stepping stone for the company.

Small bubbles create an effervescence with an intense fragrance of yeast, wild flowers, peaches and apples. My palate exploded with ripe stone fruit (white peach and apricot), a hint of yeast and smoke, which added another dimension to this well-balanced, crisp, mouth watering sparkling wine. At less than $25 a bottle, who could go wrong?

Roses all over the world have been growing market share. The NV Ferrari Rose D.O.C. ($35) may be one of the reasons.

The 60 percent Pinot Nero grape and 40 percent Chardonnay used in this production are grown on the hillsides around Trento. Hand-harvested grapes at altitudes up to 2,000 feet help make this wine, delicate, sparkling and clean.

Aromas of clove, wild strawberries and red roses add elegance to this salmon-colored sparkler. My palate was engulfed in a mixture of sweet almonds, strawberries and orange peel, which lingered on my palate.

The final wine I sampled is the 2004 Ferrari Perle, a vintage Blanc de Blanc from Chardonnay grapes grown on the Lunelli family’s own vineyard. The bottle is aged for a minimum of five years with the yeast in the bottle before it is disgorged.

Elegance, dryness and crispness make this yellow-gold wine a true classic. My palate had a faint hint of yeast mixed with a nutty taste followed by light fruity notes of ripe pears and peaches.

The Ferrari Perle tastes double its price tag of less than $50, a true value and a rival to Champagnes. Giulio Ferrari and the Lunelli Family have created, hands down, Italy’s “best sparklers.”

Posted by Phillip Kampe on July 11, 2013. Filed under Columns,Food,Opinion,Wine and Beyond. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry