Good Morning Trento!
Have you ever wished to learn how to make Champagne? Perhaps attend an intensive course held in the shadows of the Dolomite Mountains in Northern Italy, led by leaders in the art of the Italian version, Metodo Classico? Thanks to Ferrari Winery and the Lunelli Family in Trento, the first ever Metodo Classico Camp went forth last week!
Metodo Classico, like Méthode Traditionelle and Champagne, refers to the painstaking process of crafting sparkling wine by inducing a second fermentation of the still base wine in a bottle by adding sugar and yeast; allowing the wine a minimum ageing period on the lees (spent yeast) for complexity; and the unwieldy process of riddling and disgorgement which is the consolidation and removal of the yeast, while keeping the sparkling wine under pressure and in the bottle. Phew. What a pain, but the finest and most complex sparklings in the world are produced this way. You want to drink the best, right?
Day 1 of the inaugural camp, and I am honored to be in the company of a handful of wine pros from the U.S. as we join Ferrari winery in learning about the regional topography and viticulture in Trento, as well as Ferrari’s method for sparkling wine production.
Here are some images from the first day:
Sun is shining over Ferrari today!
Stand-up provided by Marcello, Luke and Philip
Tasting from the tank
A toast to base wine – there would be no bubbly without it!
A walk through the cellar
They keep the naughtiest wines behind bars
So lazy, resting while her lees do all the work…
Beauty in the bottling line
All days should end at the Villa Margon
CHASING THE VINE 