| The Trentino offers as wide array of libations as can be found in any region of Italy. Often linked with the neighboring Alto Adige, due to the fact that they are lumped together as one political region, the two areas are quite different. While both areas produce a somewhat similar array of varietals with a few notable exceptions, the terrain and climate of the Trentino area is much more varied. The core of both regions is the Adige River (Alto Adige means Upper Adige) but in the Trentino the valley and the river are wider and therefore the surrounding massifs make one feel not so claustrophobic as in the Alto Adige. Because the valley is wider there is more varied terrain and a greater number of micro-climates.
Using both indigenous and imported varietals, the Trentini produce some of Italy’s most sought after sparkling wines, a wide range of still whites and reds, delicious dessert wines and distillates that run from grappa to fruit brandies (pears and apples are a major crop here) that recall the French or Swiss eau de vie.
As far as wine is concerned, most production follows the Adige river valley and its tributaries which are flanked by towering, somewhat intimidating mountains. Where possible, vineyards on the mountainsides are excellent for the production of stylish whites, while on the valley floor soils are more alluvial and temperatures are considerably warmer, favoring the production of red wines using their own Teroldego and Lagrein varietals along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Nero.
Teroldego is the most noteworthy of varietals that is strictly Trentino. Grown almost exclusively on the tiny Rotaliano plain, where the Noce stream has deposited gravelly alluvial soil through the millennia, this varietal produces a red that has slightly smoky raspberry fruit that combines that finesse of Pinot Noir with ripe flavors that pair excellently with game birds, especially duck. The undisputed master of this wine is Elisabetta Foradori who produces and delicious and textbook example of a basic Teroldego Rotaliano as well as her world famous Granato, which though bottled as an IGT is still pure Teroldego. Other noteworthy producers are Roberto Zeni, and the Cantina Rotaliana
Nosiola would be the Trentino’s most famous white wine varietal if the words Nosiola and famous could ever fit into the same sentence. Good examples of this varietal come from the Cesconi winery, whose Nosiola has soft, floral fruit with an interesting nutty note in the finish.
Alongside their own native varietals, a vast array of grapes, Teutonic and Gallic in origin are grown. Gallic contingent consists of the usual suspects; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and the Pinots. Among the Teutonic one finds Riesling, Kerner, and Müller Thurgau, which in particular has become something of a Trentino specialty, especially it seems up in the hills at around the town of Faedo where the Pojer & Sandri and Graziano Fontana wineries can be found.
Further south around the town of Trento sits the Ferrari winery (no relation to cool wheels) where some of Italy’s most respected sparkling wines are made under the sparkling-wine-only DOC Trento. Their “Giulo Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore” is often tasted alongside the great French champagnes.
Farther south yet, almost to the border of the Veneto, is the San Leonardo property owned by the Guerrieri Gonzaga family since the eighteenth century. In their alluvial soil on the valley floor they grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot for a Bordeaux-style blend with stunning concentration and finesse.
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