Balter

Azienda Agricola Balter sits on a 16th-century castelliere hilltop above Rovereto, in Trentino's Vallagarina sub-zone. Francesco Balter purchased the fortress in 1872 and ran the farm with his brother Attilio. For over a century the family grew grapes and sold to other wineries; the pivot came in 1990, when Nicola Balter built an underground winery and bottled the first wines under the family name. Today Nicola runs the estate with his children Giacomo and Clementina - Clementina was recently elected President of Vignaioli Trentini, the regional FIVI chapter.

Ten hectares of vineyards wrap the castelliere, primarily Chardonnay and Pinot Nero for the Trentodoc range, with smaller plots for still wines (Sauvignon under Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT; Barbanico and Lagrein-Merlot under Vallagarina IGT). The Trentodoc lineup is four cuvées - Brut s.a., Rosé s.a., Nature s.a., and Riserva millesimato.

Trento DOC was established 9 July 1993, the first Italian denomination created exclusively for metodo classico sparkling - Italy's structural answer to Champagne, predating Franciacorta's DOCG by two years. Permitted grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Nero, Pinot Meunier. The alpine-foothills climate gives the high natural acidity that defines the appellation.