Trentodoc: the Italian answer to Champagne

I can already hear you thinking: the Italian answer to Champagne? Surely that’s Prosecco? Not so. For the real deal, head to the northern region of Trentino.

Trentodoc is the name of Italy’s ‘Champagne’. Unlike Prosecco, the wines do not ferment in a tank, but are made according to the ‘metodo classico’. This means that the wines undergo a second fermentation in the bottle, just like Champagne.

Another similarity: the temperature and soil in the region – near the Italian Alps – are more or less the same as those in Reims, where Champagne is produced. And the grape varieties also match: Pinot Nero (Noir) and Chardonnay.

Taste

All well and good, but what does it taste like? That naturally varies from wine to wine (there are around 52 wineries producing this sparkling wine), but generally speaking, you can say that they are just as refined as Champagne, while their location in the Italian Alps also gives them a more intense, complex flavour.

As Trentodoc maker Giacomo Malfer puts it in Forbes: ‘Our bubbles are pure, fresh and complex, just like the peaks of the Dolomites.’ Or Caroline (who doesn’t know her?) on Gall&Gall: ‘This bubbly goes down nicely, without being a drink you just knock back.’

Price

Another nice thing: most Trentodocs are slightly cheaper than Champagne. Still not convinced? In 2015, the Ferrari winery (available to buy at Appie) was named ‘Sparkling Wine Producer of the Year’, leaving the major Champagne houses Heidsieck and Roederer behind. Saluti!