Pink Italian Bubbles

Italy’s alpine Trento DOC is a sparkling wine region in Trentino. Rotari, along with Ferrari and Cavit, are one of the larger producers in Trentino. They use the traditional method of making wine bubby - Metodo Classico - and conduct a second fermentation in the bottle. There, the wine ages for 24 months. This Brut Rosé is vintage dated 2013. It sels for less than $20, so even the price tag is pretty.

Rotari Rosé is made from 75% Pinot Noir grapes and 25% Chardonnay, grown in the foothills of the Alps. It fizzes like crazy and maintains its bubbles nicely. Pink? It's practically orange. The nose is a beautiful floral spray of roses, lilacs and lavender. A sweet apple aroma comes from beneath that and brings lovely cherry and strawberry smells. The palate brings that wonderful Alpine terroir and acidity, with a touch of toast. It's as dry as a bone, yet with an underlying sweetness that faintly peeks through.

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Italian Sparkling Wine

Sparkling wine is too often relegated to "special occasions," due in part to its festive appearance and in part to its sometimes hefty price tag. This is a splashy and affordable bubbly that can be used to celebrate every day, regardless of its special nature. After all, every day is special and should be greeted as such.

Italy's alpine Trento DOC is a sparkling wine region in Trentino. Rotari, along with Ferrari and Cavit, are one of the larger producers in Trentino. They use the traditional method of making wine bubbly - Metodo Classico - and conduct a second fermentation in the bottle. There, the wine ages for 24 months. This Brut is vintage dated 2013.

It’s a Blanc de Blancs, meaning it’s made from 100% Chardonnay grapes grown in the Dolomites area, "in the shadow of the Italian Alps." It has alcohol at the sparkling standard of 12.5% abv and sells for under $20.

This Italian sparkler has bubbles for days. Well, at least for the good part of a minute. The pour produces a white, frothy head that looks like it won't dissipate, although it eventually does. The nose and palate both evoke crisp apples and the acidity is as fresh as the proverbial daisy. The toast note is more like a good piece of sandwich bread or boule. It paired well with my wife’s delicious autumn vegetable soup and a crusty bread.


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Italian Sparkling Wine - Ferrari

A wine from the northern part of Italy - especially the Trentino-Alto Adige region - holds a special place in my heart, and on my palate.  Magnificent minerality and delightful acidity seem to abound there, if the wines I’ve tried from that area are any indication.  The Alpine locale and the Austrian and German influence seem to express themselves explicitly in the wine.

A publicist sent me a trio of sparkling wines from the Trento D.O.C., which is an appellation for sparkling wines made in Trentino.  These wines are from Ferrari Metodo Classico, which has nothing to do with the Italian sports car.  It was a Ferrari named Giulio who brought Chardonnay grapes to this region in 1900.  He learned his winemaking chops in Champagne and decided that Italy should be doing that, too.  Now, the vineyards and winery are owned and operated by the Lunelli family.

The restrictions placed upon Trento producers are actually more confining than those in Champagne.  The Champagne method is used in producing the Trento sparklers, but there are also rules and regulations on the growing, cultivation and harvesting of the grapes themselves.

Ferrari Rosé NV

The Ferrari Rosé NV is made of 60% Pinot Nero, or Pinot Noir, and 40% Chardonnay.  The vineyards from which these grapes are grown in the hillsides around Trentino range from 985 to 1,970 feet in elevation.
They’ve been making this wine since the first vintage in 1969.  It’s aged for at least two years before release and has an alcohol content of only 12.5% abv.  The wine retails for $37.

This sparkler looks amazing in the glass - the salmon hue is rich and eye-catching.  One smell is all it took to win me over.  The funky, yeasty notes wrap around the playful strawberry aromas with an herbal undercurrent carrying the show along.  There's toasty bread on the palate, too, dressing up the cherry and strawberry flavors.  Fine bubbles and a stirring acidity finish this festive wine nicely.

Ferrari Perlé 2006

This Vintage Blanc de Blancs - 100% Chardonnay sparkler - sits at 12.5% abv and is made from grapes grown at elevations of up to 2,300 feet.  Its history dates back to 1971, when the first vintage was released.  It's aged for five years and the retail price is $35.

It's a beautiful yellow-gold in the glass, with medium bubbles which leave a slight trace around the rim. The toastiness that often graces the nose of a bubbly comes across as an earthy scent much like, oddly enough, Chardonnay I've had from Massachusetts.  I guess that must be the influence of the cool weather on the Chardonnay grape.  Tons of stone and tropical fruit reside underneath the minerality.  The palate shows earthiness, too - laden with minerals and driven by acidity.

Ferrari Brut NV

The third bottle is Ferrari Brut NV, also a 100% Chardonnay wine.  This wine has been around since the company was founded - its first vintage was released in 1902.  The present-day brut retails for $25.  It's aged for at least two years and contains 12.5% abv.

Pale in the glass, the bouquet of this wine shows some gentle toast and more out-and-out fruit - citrus and mango.  It's a pleasing nose with just a hint of earthiness.  The taste is a little more earthy, and it's laced with lemon-lime and that racy acidity.  The bubbles aren't too festive, so if that's important to you, it could be a drawback.  For me, the experience is just fine with a slight frizzante.


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LUNETTA PROSECCO

Bringing bubbly to a Super Bowl party shows a particular kind of readiness for celebration.  It was not my intent to be boastful, merely to be supportive of the team allegiance of our hostess.  It turned out to be unfortunate that Sheryl was backing the Steelers for Super Bowl XLV, but being from Pennsylvania - Beaver Falls - she had no choice and wanted none.  The place was festooned in black and gold for better or worse.  Despite the success of the Green Bay Packers in that game, we all enjoyed the feast and festivities.

A couple of growlers of really great beer from Eagle Rock Brewery were the beverage star of the party, but I did manage to pop the cork on the Prosecco.

Lunetta is produced by Cavit, in the northern city Trento.  An Italian sparkling wine brut, Lunetta is pale in color and shows a white, foamy layer of fine bubbles which rise playfully and persistently in the glass.  A fruity nose gives way to green apples and peaches on the palate, with a dry finish that lingers with a cleansing effect.  It went great with the guacamole, by the way.  The wine has an 11.5% alcohol content and was purchased for $9, marked down from the original $16 ticket.