TrentoDoc sparkling wine at high altitude cellar

Ferrari Trento has produced traditional method sparkling wine since 1902, and their underground cellars carved into the hillside house millions of bottles aging sur lie. The experience rivals Champagne houses at more accessible prices.

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1 Stand at the Gate Where Italy's First Chardonnay Was Born History · Free

   In 1902, Giulio Ferrari returned to this hillside from an internship in Champagne carrying something nobody in Italy had: Chardonnay vine cuttings. He looked at his Trentino mountains — the same cold nights, the same diurnal swings — and planted Italy's first documented Chardonnay vineyard, Maso Pianizza, at Via del Ponte di Ravina 15, Ravina. The vine didn't just survive. It thrived. Today Trentino hosts Italy's LARGEST Chardonnay zone. Take bus 12 or 14 from Trento center to 'Ravina Maso Stella' stop (15 min, ~€1.50), then walk 4 minutes uphill to the iron gate entrance to Cantine Ferrari. From the road you can see the traditional Pergola Trentina training system — vines horizontal on overhead wires — unchanged since medieval viticulture manuscripts.

   Backup: If touring by car, the parking area near the winery entrance gives the same full view. Even before booking a tour, you're looking at one of the most consequential wine decisions in Italian history.

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2. 2 Descend into the Hillside Where 24 Million Bottles Are Sleeping Right Now Wine · Price: moderate

   At 12°C year-round, in absolute dark, at constant humidity: 24 million bottles are aging right now inside the living rock of the Ravina hillside. During World War II, when Nazi troops occupied northern Italy, Giulio Ferrari bricked up an entire section of this cellar, plastered and painted it to look like ordinary rock face. The Germans searched. Found nothing. When the wall came down after liberation, every bottle was intact. The Tour Black&White runs Tuesdays at 15:00 sharp (€35 per person, book at hospitality@ferraritrento.it). In the tunnel system carved into the hillside, you'll taste Perlé Bianco and Perlé Nero while learning that Ferrari has won Sparkling Wine Producer of the Year at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships eight times. Ask your guide: how many months did these specific bottles spend underground?

   Backup: If Tuesday doesn't work, contact the winery for private appointment visits. The Renaissance Tour package (cellar + Villa Margon + four premium wines including Giulio Ferrari Riserva) is €305/person and includes lunch or dinner at Locanda Margon.

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3. 3 Find the Fresco That Shows the Same Vine You Walked Past on the Road In History · Free

   The 16th-century manor house built by a Venetian family in the 1540s became one of the great residences of the Alps. During the Council of Trent — the 18-year Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation — Emperor Charles V himself slept here. Inside, twelve fresco cycles include the months of the year through vineyard work, documented with precise accuracy. The vines trained on those painted hillsides? The Pergola Trentina system — the same system you walked past on the road in. Villa Margon (Via Margone di Ravina 15, 5 minutes uphill from the winery gate) opens Wednesdays and Saturdays, free admission on public days. Walk straight to the room with the 12 Months cycle, find the vineyard pruning scene, then go back outside and look at the vines — nothing has changed in 500 years.

   Backup: Even if the interior is closed, the approach road lined with chestnut trees and Pergola-trained vines — Dolomite peaks above, Trento visible below — is worth the 5-minute walk on its own.

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4. 4 Drink the Wine That Mauro Lunelli Hid for 8 Years Without Telling His Brothers Wine · Price: very high · Optional

   In 1972, winemaker Mauro Lunelli quietly set aside 5,000 bottles of that year's harvest without telling his brothers. For eight years, he said nothing. When he finally revealed what he'd done in 1980, the silence in the cellar lasted several minutes. They named it after the Founder himself: Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore — the first sparkling wine in Italy that could be mentioned in the same breath as Krug or Salon. At Locanda Margon (1 Michelin Star, Via Margone 15), the wine ages a minimum of 10 years on the lees before any bottle is opened. The Passione Bollicine tasting menu (€250/person) pairs each course with a different Ferrari wine. Reservations required: +39 0461 349401. The view from your table: terraced vineyards, Trento in the distance, the Dolomites catching the last light.

   Backup: If Locanda Margon is beyond budget or fully booked, the Bistrot Ferrari (adjacent, casual, no advance booking required for individuals) serves Ferrari wines by the glass with Trentino cheese and charcuterie. Same hillside, same view from the terrace, same story — 70% cheaper.

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Insider tips

• Book the "Giulio Ferrari" experience for their top reserve wines in the historic caves

• Ferrari supplies Italian state dinners - their prestige cuvées rival grande marque Champagne

• Try their "Perlé" range for exceptional quality-to-price ratio