Ferrari Trento is situated in the Trentodoc region of Northern Italy and has been leading the way with prestige Italian Sparkling since its foundation by Guilio Ferrari in 1902, of course in recent years the Franciacorta region has become equally famous with prestige names such as Ca’Del Bosco and Bellavista getting global recognition.
Giulio Ferrari learnt his trade in Epernay in Champagne, but having no children, sold the business to Bruno Lunelli in 1952, where it expanded through Bruno’s vision, although it was not until the current third generation of Lunellis (the charming and dynamic quartet of Marcello, Matteo, Camilla and Alessandro) that this jewel started to really sparkle and reach the pinnacle of the success that it has become.
Ruben Larentis had been the cellar master for the last 37 years but, in an outstanding coup early in 2023 Cyril Brun (previously chef de cave at Charles Heidsieck) joined the Ferrari team – to give this a sporting analogy this is the equivalent of French superstar scrum half Antoine DuPont joining Italy’s Azzuri!
Prior to Brun’s appointment,Ferrari had already won Producer of the Year at the prestigious Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships six times, beating revered names such as Louis Roederer. So what can Brun bring to the team?
Cyril Brun, Camilla Lunelli and brother Matteo (r-l), River Restaurant, London, August 2024
Over a beautiful dinner at The Savoy in a private room overlooking the Thames, both Brun and the Lunelli family explained their vision and focus for this great global brand, and how they plan to continue the success story rather than make any sweeping changes.
I did not envy Brun’s task of dealing with a new job in a ‘foreign’ country, especially dealing with some 600 families in Trentino which supply grapes to Ferrari. With a wry smile he asked whether I had ever tried to deal with French grape suppliers, I said no, but had dealt with French food producers recently in Bordeaux – no easy task we both agreed.
Brun highlighted that he was welcomed with great energy not just by the Lunellis but the whole Ferrari outer family. He mentioned that the local population had deep-rooted links to Germany and Austria, giving them a much more ‘listen & obey’ ethos unlike his compatriots in Champagne! Many were eager for advice from this ‘superstar’ transfer from Champagne.
Brun was impressed, of course, with the set-up at Ferrari, but also could see where things could evolve especially working with climate change and making small changes to improve productivity. It is a step-by-step approach, as he looks at himself as ‘the bodyguard’, each step that he takes needs to be secured, just as in climbing the local mountains.
Changes will happen in the cellar not in the vineyards, he says, with more quality control, new presses, and more experimenting whilst sharing the results with more panel tastings.
Brun has had a long love affair with cars, and I teased him that when he was approached by Ferrari he thought that it was the other Ferrari “company”. He did relay that his young son was confused, but at least now with Ferrari sponsoring Formula 1 they can all ‘live the dream’.
Ferrari is no small producer, holding some 24 million bottles in its cellar and huge masters of large formats, producing over 120,000 magnums a year. It specialises in long ageing, producing creamy, toasty complex sparkling wines. The team confides that it is not scared that its price range makes prestigious Champagne houses look up in awe, as Ferrari also offers fabulous value-for-money with its introductory ranges.
The wines are produced from the finest parcels within the Trentino mountainside vineyards where the climate here has warm days and cool nights which are perfectly suited to sparkling wine production. It is thanks to the intuition of Giulio Ferrari that the area represents the largest vineyard zone planted with Chardonnay in Italy, using the mountains to protect the vines.
Trentodocexpresses the quintessence of sparkling wines from the mountains, produced exclusively by the Metodo Classico from grapes grown in Trentino. It is the first D.O.C. created in Italy for Metodo Classico and the second in the world, after Champagne. There are 40 producers and more than 100 different wines bearing the brand Trentadoc, devised in 2007 and promoted by Itituto Trentodoc.
There are six lines in the Ferrari Collection: Classic, Maximum, Perlé, Riserva, Gran Cuvee and The Limited Edition.
And now to the wines
That line-up in full
Ferrari Maximum Blanc de Blancs Magnum, NV, Trentodoc
I loved the hint of tropical notes in this… still delicate and refined but it has that extra hint of depth, giving a luxurious feel, it is focused with a lovely purity, gentle bubbles, with an excellent herbaceous, savoury feel.
Ferrari Perlé Bianco 2017 Magnum, Trentodoc
This Blanc de Blancs has lovely intensity with toasty brioche notes, marmalade, quince, bright lime, touch of kaffir lime, beautiful, seamless, a perfect match to the canapés that included Steak Tartare with Confit Egg and Oscietra Caviar, Brown Butter Waffle & Sturgeon Rillette.
Ferrari Riserva Lunelli 2015, Trentodoc
Gorgeous, perfumed nose of white, peeled stone fruit, aromatic with fresh precision and focus, toasty but clean; paired with the Cornish Crab, Beurre Blanc, it opens up becoming creamier with great texture and that juicy stone fruit cutting through the rich, but fresh, crab dish.
Whole roasted poussin was a great match with the 2009
Ferrari Riserva Lunelli 2009, Trentodoc
Delicate biscuit nose, love the purity, citrus notes, juicy white peaches, touch of spice, yin and yang, hints of pineapple and ginger. This was fermented in large Austrian oak casks, giving it that extra creamy ‘sauce Anglaise’ richness.A great match to Whole Roasted Poussin, Consommé & Pilaf Rice, showcases how well these sparkling wines go with food.
Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore 2012, Trentodoc
Pure excellence, juicy apricots, clean, refined bubbles, spices, some smoky notes, mineral/chalk notes, elegant, freshly baked Parisienne pastry, Amalfi lemon peel, still youthful.
Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore 2015, Trentodoc
Apricots, rich and opulent, cedar and spice, this 100% Chardonnay has had a minimum of 117 months on lees; it is golden and shines in the glass, honeyed but with plenty of lemon freshness, mint notes with wild flowers, and a crisp red apple freshness.
You can take the man out of Wales... Roger's cleansing ale en route home
The wines of Ferrari Trento are imported and sold in the UK by Bibendum. A part of the C&C Group, which is a commercial partner of The Buyer, discover more about them by clicking here.
