Altemasi Winery: Luxe Sparkling Wine from Trentodoc
From the Italian meaning “of the highest farms,” Altemasi is one of the leading names in exquisite, traditional method sparkling Italian wine.
This premium range is crafted with fruit of the highest quality, built upon decades of winemaking passion and tradition that best express the terroir of the famed Trentodoc region.
Altemasi Highlights
Altemasi is dedicated to the production of best-in-class metodo classico sparkling wines in Italy.
The flagship Altemasi Riserva Graal has received Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri Distinction 11 times, including a Sparkling Wine of the Year nod in 2010.
As such, Altemasi is recognized as one of the top Trentodoc producers.
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Founded
1985 -
Location
Trentino, Italy
True Mountain Terroir
With hillside vineyards at over 600 meters / 1,969 feet, the growing conditions are ideal for pinot noir and chardonnay grapes (and can certainly be defined as “mountain viticulture”).
The area at large enjoys the benefits of two very different climates: the sub-Mediterranean (close to Lake Garda) and Alpine-continental in the north/center of the region.
Altemasi’s precision viticultural research yielded four optimal macrosites for its vineyards: the Trentino Hillsides, the Brentonico Plateau, the Cavedine Valley in the Valley of the Lakes, and the Cembra Valley. While easy-going chardonnay does well in all four areas, finicky pinot noir only does its best on the Brentonico Plateau and in the Cembra Valley.
In the Trentino Hillsides, the soils are dominated by fans of glacial/fluvial origin, giving body and complexity. The Brentonico Plateau’s volcanic basalt adds remarkable structure and roundness. In the Cavedine Valley, marl and calcareous soils from the Dolomites give a mineral intensity. And finally, the Cembra Valley — at some of the highest altitudes — boasts high-pH porphyric soils of volcanic origin, which add beautiful acidity, backbone, and freshness while also helping increase the wines’ aging potential.
Winemaking at Altemasi
The tradition of metodo classico production in Trentino began in 1902 with Giulio Ferrari. Returning from France with a selection of chardonnay vines, he introduced the French traditional method of sparkling wines in his land of origin. The Trentodoc metodo classico was the first one officially recognized in Italy and the second in the world after Champagne.
At Altemasi, only perfect bunches are selected and hand harvested. And because the cellars are so close to the vineyards, it is a very short time from harvest to soft crushing, preventing oxidation. Musts with different characteristics (such as higher acidity or pH) are always kept separate during the process. Part of the chardonnay is typically fermented in old barriques. Fermentation and refinement occur in stainless-steel tanks until tirage (done in the April following the harvest). Maturation on the yeasts ranges from 18 to 78 months.
