Ferrari Brut NV: Yellow straw with hints of green color; wild flowers, yeast on the nose; golden delicious apple, baked bread, superb and very persistent bubbles;
100% chardonnay grapes make this exceptionally clean, bright, and balanced with gratifying finesse for the price. Dry, crisp acidity, delightful freshness. Ferrari began in 1902 when Giulio Ferrari returned to Trentino, Italy, after studying in France. Breaking Italian tradition, he planted chardonnay because he believed the Trentino terroir would favor chard and he could make sparkling wine in the classic Champagne method—“metodo classico”—to match pricier French efforts. He succeeded. By 1906, Ferrari’s wines were on their way to becoming the most famous sparkling wines in Italy. Giulio died without heirs in 1952; he selected Bruno Lunelli, a close friend and local merchant as successor for his beloved business. Today, the third generation of the Lunelli family operates the winery and continues Ferrari’s legacy of superb Italian sparklings at excellent price points. I am big fan of sparkling at Thanksgiving and Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year celebrations. Sparkling is superb party starter, aperitif, and pairs with almost any food, especially fish, poultry, salads. Nothing gets a party rolling better than the pop of corks from sparkling wine. Champagne comes from Champagne region of Burgundy in France, and it is wonderful; it also is expensive—you pay a premium for the name. Lots of other places do the same job at half the price; Ferrari is one of them, look to Spain and New Mexico for others. This is wonderfully clean and fresh, a complement to any big feast; it is nice, too, for a quiet evening when the two of you want a wisp of delicious elegance. Who knows what happens after that? Burgundy makes you think of silly things; Bordeaux makes you talk about silly things, sparkling wine makes you do silly things. $25
