In 2021, Formula 1 made a significant but perhaps overlooked change. After decades of cooperation with French champagne manufacturers, the brand turned its vision to new horizons and contracted Ferrari Trento to make the commemorative drink for the selected awards ceremony. For the first time in F1 history, a sparkling wine awaits drivers on the top three steps of the podium.
Ferrari Trento was founded in 1902, celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. The drink originally started with a man named Giulio Ferrari, who studied the French art of champagne making to create a sparkling drink his hometown could be proud of. With no heirs, he passed the company over to the Lunelli family, the lineage that current CEO Matteo Lunelli represents.
“Ferrari has raised a toast to many important events in the world of sports, fashion and other institutions,” Lunelli said in an interview with Jalopnik. “However, Formula 1 is the most iconic celebration in the world of sports.”
And it’s true: The celebration of champagne in motorsport carries with it a long legacy, one that has been deeply refined by F1. As a F1 fan growing up, Lunelli recognizes the importance of celebration on that podium. He has therefore begun negotiations with the sport during the COVID-19 pandemic and signed a three-year contract with F1. quick 5-year contract extension.
I had the opportunity to taste three Ferrari Trento products during a lunch interview with Lunelli, and I was impressed with the taste as well as the fact that I could buy this drink at the local grocery store. I’m no connoisseur, but the hard bite of the drink on the podium, the Ferrari Brut, was like biting into a bubbly apple – which I can only imagine tasted better after a race full of oranges. go. It tastes like the sound of the Italian national anthem: hilarious, proud, and inexplicably hilarious.
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Taste is the result of terrorismor the environment in whichHardonnay grapes are grown in the Trentino region. The vineyard is located on the mountainside, creating a unique climate. During the day, the grapes are exposed to the warm Mediterranean sun. At night, cold air rushes down from the mountain tops and cools the grapes in the process.
“This helps our grapes achieve aromatic ripeness, maintaining the well-balanced acidity that gives our wines elegance,” says Lunelli. Essentially, the climate gives the wine subtle fruit flavors that don’t feel too tart, tart or sweet.
That taste is also part of the reason F1 chose to deviate from the traditional champagne route to pursue sparkling wine instead. As Lunelli put it, the series “recognizes the excellence of our wines, our Italian style and our commitment to sustainability.”
Sustainability is a key element of this equation. Ferrari Trento has been working on sustainability since 2000, certified organic in 2017 and carbon neutral this year. In the case of the wine world, sustainability requires not only pesticide-free growing methods, but also an active contribution to the communities where the vineyards are located. With F1’s recent sustainability push, finding new partners with similar goals is key.
And this particular partnership was a success. Lunelli mentions that drivers regularly compliment the drinks and the international profile provided by F1 has created a welcome problem: Ferrari Trento is struggling to keep up with demand ahead of record consumption.
“Formula 1 is a place of innovation,” Lunelli told me, “and it has proven that it can also innovated in this respect, with the new trend of premium sparkling wines. ”
