Tasting Ferrari's range of sparkling wines

Tasting menu at the Ferrari bar on Costa Toscana. Six sparkling wines by Ferrari, paired with a seven-course-menu. The food is great, so if you end up on a cruise with Costa Toscana or Costa Smeralda I recommend you try the tasting menu.

• 2017 Ferrari Perlé 89 Points

  Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Trentino, Trento

  Wine 1 of 6. 100% Chardonnay. Typically about 54 months on the lees before disgorgement. Freshly opened bottle. Apple, citrus, almond, light biscuit, and a faint hint of smoke, with good acidity and average to good length. The mousse is fine perceived as lightly creamy. Light-bodied and quite pleasant. Smooth and creamy. When we returned to the wine after we had sampled the Ferrari Perlé Zero 2014 the Perlé 2017 came across as a little simple, naturally. A good sparkling wine, but I prefer the Ferrari Maximum Blanc de Blancs for everyday drinking, and the Ferrari Perlé Cuvée Zero for special occasions.

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• NV Ferrari Maximum Blanc de Blancs 90 Points

  Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Trentino, Trento

  Wine 2 of 6. 100% Chardonnay. 30 months on the lees before disgorgement. Freshly opened bottle. Fruity, citrus driven, with hints of biscuit, almond and flint, backed by fresh, medium(+) acidity. The mousse is fine and creamy. Great persistence. Very good. One of my favourite bottlings of Ferrari.

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• NV Ferrari Trento Maximum Rosé 89 Points

  Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Trentino, Trento

  Wine 3 of 6. A blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. 36 months on the lees before disgorgement. Medium pinkish salmon colour. Fruity. Mixed berries, light almond, and light brioche, with good acidity and good length. The mouse is medium-fine and perceived as lightly creamy. A good rosé.

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• NV Ferrari Perlé Zero Cuvée Zero 14 91 Points

  Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Trentino, Trento

  Wine 4 of 6. 100% Chardonnay, with a minimum of 60 months on the lees before disgorgement. Ripe apple, dried apricot, tangerine, hazelnut, almond, marzipan, and smoke, with good, medium to medium(+) acidity, and very good length. The mousse is fine and creamy if slightly aggressive. Very different from the other Ferrari’s. Great complexity. A very good sparkling wine. My wife loved it!

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• 2016 Ferrari Brut Perlé Rosé Riserva 89 Points

  Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Trentino, Trento

  Wine 5 of 6. A blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay. Medium salmon colour. Red berries, almond, biscuit, light spice notes, and a hint of smoke, with medium level acidity and good length. Creamy mousse. Good. But I have a slight preference for the regular Maximum Rosé NV for its better balance of fruit and autolysis notes.

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• NV Ferrari Maximum Demi-sec

  Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Trentino, Trento

  Wine 6 of 6. 100% Chardonnay. 36 months on the lees before disgorgement. No notes.

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Good quality across the range. However, the differentiation between the different lines of Ferrari wines and putting them in order of quality remains difficult to me. And I cannot find the sweet spot for the mid-level Perlé range since in Ferrari's lines I would always opt up for more complexity or opt down for more fruit and better value for money.