🍷 Trento DOC

Trento is an Italian protected designation of origin for quality sparkling wine made only by second fermentation in the bottle, from Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Nero and Meunier grown in 74 wine communes of the Autonomous Province of Trento. It was the first Italian designation reserved for bottle-fermented sparkling wine. ¹

Mountain vineyards. The area covers the Adige Valley, the Cembra Valley, the Vallagarina, the Sarca Valley, the Valsugana and the Giudicarie valleys; it is mostly mountainous or hilly, and the vineyards, largely on slopes, climb to 800 m above sea level. ¹ The producers' institute puts most vineyards between 200 and 800 m on well-drained soils rich in limestone and silica. ⁴

Cold nights, fine aromas. The climate mixes Alpine, continental and Mediterranean influences: cool air from the Dolomites meets the milder air of Lake Garda. ⁴ The marked difference between day and night temperatures in the last phase of ripening gives the wines their finesse of aroma. ¹ Research by the Edmund Mach Foundation and the Ministry of Agriculture links certain volatile compounds, formed by these temperature swings, to the identity of Trento sparkling wine. ⁴

Grapes and rules. The permitted varieties are Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Nero and Meunier, and the yield may not exceed 105 hl per hectare for any type. Making the base wine, the second fermentation and bottling must all take place in the province of Trento. ¹

Time on the lees. A Trento must rest at least 15 months on its fermentation yeasts, and a Riserva at least 36 months, counted from bottling and never before 1 January after the harvest. ¹ The institute adds a minimum of 24 months for a vintage wine, or millesimato, and says producers often age their wines much longer. ³

White, rosé and Riserva. Trento can be white or rosé: the white is straw yellow with a delicate yeasty scent, the rosé more or less pale pink and sometimes fruity, both ranging from brut nature to sweet, with at least 11.5 % actual alcohol and 5 g/l total acidity. A Riserva, white or rosé since a 2015 amendment, needs at least 12 % and ranges only from brut nature to brut. ¹

Dosage and sweetness. After disgorgement each producer decides the dosage. Pas dosé has up to 3 g of sugar per litre without added sugar, extra brut 0–6 g, brut up to 12 g, extra dry 12–17 g, dry or sec 17–32 g and demi-sec 32–50 g. ³ In Trentino, sparkling wine made by this method dates back to the early 1900s and has grown steadily in producers and bottles ever since. ¹

From Giulio Ferrari to the DOC. Giulio Ferrari, an oenologist trained at the San Michele agricultural institute, noticed similarities of landscape and climate between Champagne and Trentino and began making sparkling wine at home in 1902. In 1993 Trento became a DOC, the first classic-method designation in Italy. ² Since 1984 the Istituto Trento DOC has protected and promoted the wine, and the Edmund Mach Foundation is its historical research partner. ⁵ Trentino has more than 10,230 ha of vines, 13.6 % of the grapes go into sparkling base wine, and more than 13 million bottles were sold in 2022. ⁴

Why it matters to you. The word Trento on the label (Trento DOC) guarantees a bottle-fermented wine from Trentino grapes with at least 15 months on the lees, and Riserva means at least 36. ¹ The dosage term, from pas dosé to demi-sec, tells you how sweet the wine is. ³ The WHO stresses that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. ⁶