Wine Tastings, Winery Visits and Wine Tours in Trento DOC

Trento DOC wine tasting: which wineries to visit

Trento DOC is Trentino's traditional method sparkling wine: mountain bubbles that ferment a second time in the bottle. The experiences on this page are at more than 20 wineries in the province of Trento, in the valleys around the city: the Piana Rotaliana and the Cembra Valley to the north, the Vallagarina to the south, around Rovereto. Trento is about an hour from Verona. Nearly four out of five experiences last one to two hours, usually with 3 or 4 wines, and guests have left more than 100 reviews of them on Winedering. About one experience in three is sure to pour a Trento DOC, including all four in the list below; the others focus mostly on the area's still wines, starting with Teroldego.

Which wineries should you visit for a Trento DOC tasting?

Vivallis is the most booked winery on this page, but each has something of its own:

• Vivallis, in Nogaredo in the Vallagarina: a cellar tour, then 5 wines, 3 of them Trentodoc, with cheeses and cured meats, plus a free ticket to the Casa Depero museum in Rovereto.
• Balter, in Rovereto: a family winery housed in the Castelliere, a former military building, where the Balters do their own disgorging. You taste 3 Trentodoc and 2 still wines.
• Tenuta Gottardi, in Cembra: a walk among steep terraces held up by dry-stone walls, then a Trento DOC, a white and a red with cheese and cured meats.
• Viola, in Mezzocorona: a cable car up Monte di Mezzocorona to 900 metres and a walk to the Obermetz vineyard; back down, the Navarro Trento DOC Riserva and 2 reds. Almost four hours.

What is Trento DOC, and how is it different from Franciacorta and Champagne?

It is a white or rosé traditional method sparkling wine, made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and Meunier and produced only in the province of Trento. The appellation dates from 1993, the first in Italy reserved for the traditional method, and more than 60 producers make it today; Trentodoc, written as one word, is their collective brand. The method is the same as in Champagne and Franciacorta, but many vineyards here are in the mountains, up to 900 metres, and the minimum ageing differs: a non-vintage Trento DOC spends at least 15 months on its lees, against 12 for Champagne and 18 for Franciacorta; a vintage Trento DOC needs 24 months and a Riserva 36. For a first taste, Monfort, in Lavis, which has made traditional method wine since 1985, pours 5 different Trentodoc wines, from the freshest to the most complex.

Which other Trentino wines can you taste, and where?

Mostly Teroldego, Marzemino, Müller-Thurgau and Nosiola, each in its own valley:

• Teroldego in the Piana Rotaliana, between Mezzocorona and Mezzolombardo. Martinelli, in Mezzocorona, one of the most booked here, shows you its historic cellar, then pours 4 wines, including a Teroldego rosé and the Teroldego Classico.
• Marzemino and Bordeaux-style reds in the Vallagarina. Salizzoni, in Besenello, pours three Marzemino wines with Marzemino cheese and speck: it is the wine Don Giovanni praises in Mozart's opera. At Palazzo Lodron, in Nogaredo, the owners pour a rosé in the vineyard by the old tower, show you the palace rooms and finish with 3 wines and cheeses. San Leonardo, in Avio, known for its Bordeaux blend, walks you down its linden avenue, then pours 6 wines with Trentingrana cheese.
• Müller-Thurgau and Schiava in the Cembra Valley, on porphyry terraces. Zanotelli, in Cembra, pours a Trento DOC, a Müller-Thurgau, a Schiava and a Pinot Noir.
• Nosiola and Vino Santo in the Valle dei Laghi. Pisoni, in Pergolese, an organic, biodynamic winery, pours its Nosiola and ends with Vino Santo and fregoloti biscuits.

How do you get to the Trento DOC wineries from Verona?

Driving is easiest: Trento is about 100 km up the A22 from Verona, roughly an hour. Trains on the Brenner line take about as long and also stop at Rovereto, but most wineries are a short drive out of town, so from the station you will need a taxi or a hire car. Wineries take visitors all year, and just over half of bookings fall between June and November; the busiest weekends are those of the Trentodoc Festival, in the second half of September, and Cantine Aperte, at the end of May. Many of these tastings can also be given as a gift: whoever receives the voucher picks the date.