Tenuta San Leonardo and Ferrari spumante: Top Notch Gourmet and Wine Tasting Experience in Trentino
A full day to discover the hidden gem of Vallagarina and Trento wine region!
The day will start with the visit to one of the most important and famous wineries of Italy: Tenuta San Leonardo. It opens its gates, to let you discover its hidden world and its important history.
Founded in 1724 where once there stood a monastery for Crouched Friars, Tenuta San Leonardo has since remained in the same family. Cast into the shadow of the first world war, the estate was converted into the headquarters of the 29th Corps of the Italian army. As the war waned, the Italian and the Austrians negotiated the terms of the armistice that would eventually bring an end to the war for Italy at San Leonardo in October 1918. As Italy emerged from war and experienced an economic resurgence, Tenuta San Leonardo also looked to reinvent itself as control of the estate was passed to Marchese Carlo Gonzaga in the late 1960s. In his new role, he would oversee the planting of international varieties with Guyot and spurred cordon trellising alongside the native varieties that were being cultivated using the traditional pergola trellising. These would be the first steps in San Leonardo’s transformation into a benchmark winery.
Your host will welcome you and you will enjoy a walk along the alley lined with lime trees, with a visit to the guyot and pergolas vineyards and to the gardens of Villa Gresti.
Then you will tour the vinification cellar and the underground aging cellar, the ancient monastic vegetable garden with its essences and the collection of early 20th century classic tractors.
You will visit also the Museum of Rural Life together with the Estate’s historical archive, as well as the ancient chapel which hosts a fresco from around the year 1200.
The visit will end with a tasting session of Vette, Terre di San Leonardo, Villa Gresti and the renowned San Leonardo.
After the wine estate tour and tasting, a terrific lunch at Casa del Vino vallagarina awaits, with traditional flavours from this region, hidden gem between Trento and Lake Garda. You will enjoy a 4 courses meal, paired with local, high quality wines. A sample menu could be: carpaccio di carne salada con insalata di porcini, risotto al porro e patate, filetto di vitello al fieno con verdure, strudel di mele e gelato alla grappa.
After lunch, enjoy an amazing wine expereince at Ferrari, with tour of the winery and tasting of its famous sparkling wines.
Established in northern Italy’s Trentino region over a century ago, Ferrari has earned a worldwide reputation as the premier source of luxury metodo classico sparkling wines from Italy.
Ferrari was founded in 1902 by Giulio Ferrari. After studying in France, Giulio returned to Trentino convinced that his native region’s terroir was ideal for growing Chardonnay grapes suitable for the production of world-class sparkling wines. A pioneer in Italian viticulture, Ferrari was the first Italian winemaker and viticulturalist to dedicate his vineyards almost entirely to Chardonnay – and by 1906 the awards had begun to roll in. Ferrari was well on its way to producing what would soon become the most famous sparkling wine in all of Italy. In fact, Ferrari is a perennial 22-time winner of the Tre Bicchieri award, Italy’s highest wine accolade.
