Winery visit - Ferrari Trento
I had the chance to take a tour at Ferrari Trento, one of Italy’s most iconic sparkling wine producers. I had vaguely heard of Ferrari wines before—mostly as the bottles sprayed around on Formula 1 podiums—but I didn’t realize just how much history and tradition was behind that famous label until we saw it all up close.
Ferrari was founded all the way back in 1902 by Giulio Ferrari—not the car guy, but a winemaker from Trento who had studied in France and become obsessed with the Méthode Champenoise. He came back home with a bold idea: to make Italian sparkling wine that could rival the best of Champagne. He picked the high-altitude slopes of Trentino, planted Chardonnay, and built what would become a legend. When he retired, he passed the business to Bruno Lunelli, a local wine merchant, and now the Lunelli family still runs it—over a century later.
The view from the front of the winery--a view of Trento's mountains
The winery itself is tucked into the steep, mountainous terrain of Trento. It is literally off the highway through an offshoot branch of the Dolomites, and when we arrived, the view was incredible—jagged peaks in the distance, rows of vines terraced into the slope, and a soft chill in the air that made it easy to understand why this is perfect sparkling wine country.
Our tour started in the older parts of the facility, where the original riddling rooms are still kept intact. Our guide explained how workers used to riddle each bottle by hand—turning and tilting them little by little every day to gather the sediment in the neck. It’s meticulous and time-consuming, but it’s also what gives traditional sparkling wines their clarity. The idea that someone had to flip thousands of bottles by hand every single day kind of blew my mind.
Me in front of the Ferrari Trento DOC No. Bott. 310.270
A section of the cellar that displays the older wines.
From there, we walked into the newer fermentation area, and it felt like stepping into a spaceship. Towering stainless steel vats lined the room, each one temperature-controlled and gleaming. It was freezing cold in there—apparently the chill helps preserve freshness during fermentation, especially for their white wines. Even though we weren’t allowed to touch anything, it felt high-tech and precise, like the opposite of the dusty, romantic cellars we’d just seen.
The newer fermentation area with large metal vats.
The large robot assembly line being manned by one individual.
One of the most memorable moments came when we got to see a man operating two massive robotic arms which were flipping and stacking crates of wine like they weighed nothing. I could’ve watched that thing move all day—it moved so precisely. We walked back upstairs to a mezzanine displaying the packaging/labeling facility. All around us were signs labeling each step of the process: Paletizzatore, Pesa, Capsulatrice to name a few. It was industrial, but in a beautiful, efficient way. It was smaller than I expected for such a big name.
The packaging and labeling line.
At the end of the tour, we headed upstairs for a tasting. We were poured a glass of Ferrari Maximum Blanc de Blancs, which is made from 100% Chardonnay. The wine was pale gold, with a stream of tiny bubbles that never stopped. On the nose it was bright and citrusy, and on the palate I got green apple, a bit of almond, and something floral. It was crisp and elegant, with a long, clean finish. There was a moment when the sommelier dumped the cork into a waste basket. While my class was distracted, I tracked the gentleman down and asked for a cork. He gave me 5, which I shared with family/friends!
Because we were such a large group we only had the opportunity to try this one wine, but they had an impressive catalogue of available years. There was an F1 podium for posing for photos, and there were more sommeliers escorting ostentatious clients to special office rooms with several large bottles in tow.
The sommeliers and guides pouring our glasses.
The white wine in a Ferrari glass
This visit made me see sparkling wine differently. Before, I mostly thought of it as a drink for special occasions. But at Ferrari, I saw how it can also be an expression of place, precision, and patience. Between the old cellars and the technologically forward facility, it felt like the past and future of Italian wine were working together in real time.
I am still a McLaren fan however.
A picture of the winery front.
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