Are you fed up with the current Prosecco obsession? I certainly am. Boring, one-dimensional wine that’s currently enjoying considerable vogue because it’s possessed of one attribute, and one attribute only: bubbles. So it goes “Pop!” when the cork’s pulled. Spare me please.
If I’m going to drink Italian fizz, it’s going to be good stuff, like Trentodoc, the sparkling wine from the high peaks and steep valleys of the Trentino region in the Dolomites, part of the Italian Alps.
Trentodoc might be a clumsy portmanteau of a word combining “Trento”, the name of the region’s capital city, and “DOC” the official Italian wine naming system, but it is both distinctive and descriptive.
The spectacular topography of the Trentino is more than just eye-catching scenery – and it is certainly that – but the steep, rocky slopes and dramatic day/night temperature fluctuations result in low yields of mineral-infused wines packed with vivacious personality.
And then there’s the way the wine’s made. The Metodo Classico, formally Metodo Champenoise till the Champenoise got sniffy, is the same method used in Champagne, but whatever name it goes by it’s the slow, difficult and expensive process that puts all those tiny, delicate bubbles in the wine. No other method works anything like as well.
In the long history of Italian wine Trentodoc is pretty new. The modern industry was founded by Giulio Ferrari in the first decade of the 20th century when he introduced Chardonnay, and in 1906 his wine won a gold medal at the International World’s Fair in Milan. This set things going, and the company that bears his name, though under different ownership, is still the dominant player in the appellation, and producer of some of its best wines.
Pinot Nero (Noir) and Chardonnay are the main grapes used, with Pinot Meunier and Pinot Blanco playing minor rolls.
Trentino is the second largest producer of Italian Metodo Classico wine, with sales growing about 6% over the last three years. What I find interesting though is sales of the best wines – Riserva and Millesimato (vintage) – are up 13%.
Here are five winners
Altemasi 2010
$40, 100% Chardonnay
Rich and meaty at first, drinkable if uninteresting, but after an hour it had acquired a hugely appealing elegance with jasmine on the nose and almonds and brioche on the palate.
Ferrari Perlé
Ferrari Perlé
Credit: Palm Bay Imports$42, 100% Chardonnay
A little sweet – which should appeal to the American market – but there's a fine balancing acidity. With a bit of time it softened, becoming more grownup and showing a wonderfully complex Chardonnay maturity.
Rotari Rosé 2013
$20, 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay
Web
Big and unrefined at first, it soon mellowed as beguilingly yeasty, earthy Pinot elements emerged.
Maso Martis DossaggioZero Riserva 2011
$40, 70% Pinot Nero, 30% Chardonnay
Bone dry but in no way astringent thanks to pure fruit and impeccable winemaking.
Borgo dei Posseri T Tananai
$24
Pale, pale color and a flavor of ethereal lightness tinged with peaches, and ribbons of slatey minerality emerging in the second glass. An ideal fizz for summer lunch.
