As the seasons change, why not consider trying a bottle of sparkling wine from Italy’s high-altitude regions of Trentino and Alto Adige/Südtirol? Like an Alpine ski run, it’s bracing.
Landscape’s importance in viticulture
Trentino and Alto Adige are two autonomous provinces in northern Italy that together form the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The region borders Switzerland and Austria, and medieval castles punctuate a landscape dominated by the Dolomites, the Italian Alps with dramatic, sawtooth limestone peaks. In Trentino, Italian is the predominant language, while Alto Adige/Südtirol has strong Germanic traditions.
The Alpine mountains’ high elevations, cool temperatures and pronounced day-to-night temperature swings help create sparkling wines with bright acidity and freshness. Rather than being full and fruity, these wines tend to be crisp and elegant, with mineral notes and a lively buoyancy that’s noticeable in every sip.
Sparkling with a difference
While many people think of Veneto's Prosecco when it comes to Italian sparkling wine, Trentino stands apart—literally. Trentino is not fertile flat land. It’s rugged and mountainous. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the dominant grapes used for its sparkling wine, grow in harmony with the climate and terroir.
The region’s signature sparkling wine is Trentodoc, made exclusively from Trentino grapes using the traditional, or Metodo Classico, method, which includes a second fermentation in the bottle. One example that captures the freshness, elegance and mineral character associated with the region is Rotari Trentodoc.
Since 1977, Rotari has focused on Trentino’s Alpine terroir through its Metodo Classico sparkling wines. Its wines include Chardonnay and Pinot Noir sourced from vineyards in the hills around Trento and the Adige Valley, with grapes harvested by hand. Key characteristics of its sparkling wines, like many from Trentino, include vibrant aromas of citrus and orchard fruit, with hints of freshly baked bread and sweet almond. Crisp, elegant and endlessly versatile, these sparkling wines work beautifully as an aperitivo or alongside everything from oysters and crudo to roast chicken and creamy risotto. The lively acidity and mineral freshness give them a distinctive place among Italian sparkling wines, while fine, persistent perlage and a lingering finish add to their appeal.
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Alto Adige: Hard-core mountain winemaking
To the north of Trentino is Alto Adige, one of Italy’s smallest winegrowing regions, with approximately 5,850 hectares (14,456 acres) of vines. The Adige River winds through the region, which borders Austria and is also known as South Tyrol, or Südtirol. Its culture and winemaking traditions reflect both Italian and Germanic influences.
A mosaic of subregions and small-scale winegrowers across this mountainous province relies on a long-established cooperative system for producing and selling wine. There are approximately 4,800 winegrowers, and 96% of the region’s winegrowing area is under DOC protection. About 65% of Alto Adige’s wines are white, making it one of Italy’s most important white wine regions.
Alto Adige sparkling wine, or Südtiroler Sekt, is a crisp, traditional-method style of mountain spumante, typically marked by bright fruit and citrus aromas, fine bubbles, vibrant acidity and mineral freshness. Extended contact with yeast during the second fermentation can also contribute notes of bread crust and brioche. Consider Cantina Kettmeir, founded in 1919, as the region’s cornerstone sparkling wine producer. The winery began producing sparkling wine using the Charmat method, the winemaking process in which sparkling wine undergoes its second fermentation in large, pressurized stainless steel tanks rather than individual bottles, but switched to traditional-method sparkling wine in 1992, when its Athesis Brut was introduced.
The top notes
This region might not be as familiar to wine drinkers as Tuscany, Abruzzo or the Veneto, but its high-altitude vineyards and cool Alpine temperatures help preserve the freshness, acidity and complexity that define its distinctive wines. Its sparkling wines may not be meant for simple quaffing but instead offer elegance, vibrant acidity, mineral freshness and, in some cases, impressive aging potential. For wine lovers looking beyond the familiar Italian bubbles, the mountain wines of Trentino and Alto Adige are well worth discovering.
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