The Wine: Ferrari Rose $$$
The Food: White Pizza to White Truffles
The Place: Wherever you choose to celebrate.
Cantine Ferrari, Trentino, is Italy’s most popular producer of sparkling wines, spumante as it is called in Italy. Which is good because all Ferrari makes is sparkling wine, which is also good because, specializing in one type of wine makes them the best. And of course, rose is the perfect color for Valentine’s day.
This Ferrari wine is made with hand-harvested Chardonnay and Pinot Nero grapes grown on the beautiful hillsides in Trentino. It is an exquisite wine that we found it to have delightful sparkle, dry flavors with cranberry and yeast notes, red grapefruit that turns to lovely bitter cherry in a persistent flavor that wraps around your tongue. In 2012 Wine Enthusiast gave the wine 91 points and Editors Choice saying "Year after year, this is a fantastic rosé sparkler that can be served at informal and formal occasions alike…"
The story behind Ferrari Rose is sweet. It began in 1972 when winemaker Mauro Lunelli (left) created Ferrari’s first Rose to celebrate his wedding anniversary. I told you it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day.
Mauro was of the second generation of three to preside over the Ferrari vineyards after Giulio Ferrari, who founded the winery in 1902, not having any children, chose Mauro's father, Bruno Lunelli (right), a friend and local merchant to carry on his precious business. Later it was purchased by Mauro and his brothers Gino and Franco.
All Cantine Ferrari wines are made in the “metodo classico” the same process used to make world famous French sparkling wines, like Champagne, méthode classique. This means the wine is fermented in the bottle. It is a very interesting process to see.
Today Mauro’s daughter Camilla Lunelli and her brother Alessandro and cousins, Marcello and Matteo, operate the vineyard and Lunelli Group which in addition to the exquisite Ferrari sparkling wines, produces the popular mineral water, Surgiva; the legendary grappa, Segnana, still wines under the Lunelli name in Trentino, as well as fine Tuscan wines at Tenuta Podernovo near Pisa; and Montefalco wines at Tenuta Castelbuono in Umbria, and we must mention the gourmet meca restaurant Locanda Margon in Trentino.” Ferrari
In closing I will share these words from my friend Monica Larner who said for Wine Enthusiast:
“Ferrari produces wonderful sparkling wines year after year and this Rosé carries forth that proud Trento (northern Italy) tradition. It opens with a pale pink color and deep layers of yeast, cranberry and savory spice.” Score: 90. —Monica Larner, December 31, 2011.
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