|
By Manos Angelakis
Tasting is Believing!
The Sparkling Wines of Ferrari.
Almost every winemaking country in the world produces sparkling wines.
Some producers, like the top Champagne houses, create excellent wines that have a worldwide audience. The popular belief is that these wines have extraordinary powers; that they can be instruments of, or contribute to joy, celebration, seduction, etc., etc.
As far as I’m concerned, whether there is marketing created mystique or not, it’s only fermented French grape juice!
There are sparkling wines produced in other parts of the world by what is known as the methode champegnoise, or the classic method, which are just as good and joy producing as the top champagnes. I consider the Ferrari sparklers, created in Trentino, Italy, from the two classic grapes that make champagne, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (Pinot Nero), as good as any product of a top Champagne house and proof of that is that these wines are perennial Tre Bicchieri winners. Even the non-premium bottles, both white and rosé, can compete on an equal footing with bottles priced two or three times higher.
The white wines (Ferrari Brut and the vintage Ferrari Perlé) are all blanc de blancs, meaning they are all made 100% from the white grape Chardonnay. The rosés are blends of Pinot Noir – depending whether it is the entry level Ferrari Rosé(60%) or the Ferrari Perlé Rosé(80%) and the rest is Chardonnay. The top of the line Giulio Ferrari is a single vineyard (Maso Pianizza vineyard), 100% Chardonnay wine, hand harvested, with first fermentation in tanks, then bottling and a second fermentation induced in the bottle. The wine matures on the lees for 10 years, prior to release.
I had dinner one evening with Dr. Marcello Lunelli, the third-generation owner of the Ferrari winery. He is an affable young man and the chief winemaker for the vineyard. His quest for excellence in winemaking has taken him from European vineyards, to South Africa, to California and finally back to the family business. He is an excellent raconteur, and understands very well the wine business.
Trentino, where the Ferrari wines are created is in Alto Adige, a winemaking region in Italy that is as much Austrian – it was for centuries part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire – as it is Italian. Actually, depending on who is talking, Alto Adige is still also referred to as Sud Tyrol. The cuisine is as much Germanic as it is Italian, and the wines produced there use as much Grüner Veltliner, as they use Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay. I consider the Ferrari sparklers some of the best representations of wine made from cold-climate grapes.
I personally loved the Ferrari Perlé Rosé, as well as the Giulio Ferrari. Both are very distinctive, elegant, and velvety. The Perlé Rosé is designed for a niche market of true wine lovers and shows aromas of ripe raspberries, rose, and orange peel. The palate shows hints of fresh almonds and yeast. Actually, it tastes a bit more yeasty than the nose would suggest. The Giulio Ferrari has won Gambero Rosso’s Tre Bicchieri award for the thirteenth time. It is a bright straw-yellow-gold colored sparkler. It has a delicate nose, with acacia honey predominant and hints of vanilla and white flowers. The palate is balanced, with flowery vanilla and honey.
Whichever bottle you select, you can’t go wrong. Pricewise, they are on par with the better Champagnes, but less expensive than the product of the top premium houses.
© June 2009 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
|
