Ferrari Trento

Italy's best known sparkling wine house sits in Trento, up in the mountains of Trentino. It has been making bottle fermented wine for more than 120 years, and it is still run by one family.

History

Giulio Ferrari trained at the farming school in San Michele all'Adige, then studied in Montpellier, the Rhine and Champagne. He came home convinced Trentino could do the same thing and started the winery in 1902. A gold medal in Milan followed in 1906. With no children of his own, he handed the business to Bruno Lunelli, who ran a wine shop in Trento, in 1952, when it made just 9,000 bottles a year. Lunelli's grandson Matteo has been president and chief executive since 2011.

The vineyards

Grapes come from 132 hectares of company owned mountain vineyards plus more than 600 partner growers across Trentino, backed by eight agronomists. Warm days and cold nights are the whole point.

The grapes

Chardonnay first, plus Pinot Noir. Everything is picked by hand.

How it is made

Traditional method, with the second fermentation in the bottle. The Maximum wines rest in the cellars on the lees for at least 24 months.

The wines

All sold as Trento doc, across four ranges: Classic, Maximum, Perlé and Riserve. Maximum comes in three versions, a pure Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs, a Rosé blending Pinot Noir with Chardonnay, and a Demi-Sec for the end of the meal.