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TALENTO
Rotari: “Talento”
Metodo Classico, Método Tradicional, Methode
Champenoise: are all ways of identifying the
earliest and most refined production method
of sparkling wines obtained through second
fermentation in the bottle.
Talento identifies the excellence of
Italian sparkling wine. As a matter
of fact, since 2005 the use of
“Talento” is exclusively reserved to
sparkling wines produced in the
Second fermentation in bottle and may only be
made from Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and
Pinot Bianco, of which the finest
are preserved to obtain quality
sparkling wines with a minimum of 15
months second fermentation.
Rotari founded the
Istituto Talento
Italiano.
Trentino, in the heart of the italian
Dolomites, represents one the finest areas for
the production of the “Talento”
wine, thanks to its perfect combination of
wines, terrains and its variety of
micro-climates. TrentoDOC is the appellation
used for Talento sparkling wines produced in
the Trentino area.
The main production phases of “Talento” are the following:
The “base” wine
The grapes are delivered to the winery after
harvesting and immediately undergo soft
pressing. The must, after sedimentation, is
transferred to large steel tanks in the
Rotari Winery, where the first fermentation
at controlled temperatures (around 18°C) is
initiated. Subsequently, the Chardonnay and
Pinot Nero are carefully mixed to obtain the
various “base” cuvees for the sparkling
wine.
Tirage
The bottling starts in spring: carefully
selected sugars and yeasts are added to the
base wine, which subsequently is bottled.
The bottles are sealed with a aluminium
crown cap and are placed in
large steel cages, which are then stored and left to
rest for more than 2 years at a constant
temperature of 13 °C
Second fermentation and refinement
The second fermentation (or “prise de
mousse”) commences inside the bottles which
are stacked in horizontal position. The
characteristic bubbles of Rotari emerge due
to the elaboration of the yeasts. This marks
the beginning of a long period of ageing and
refinement during which the aromas of the
grapes are harmonized and evolve together
with those released by the yeasts.
Remuage
After conclusion of ageing, the riddling (“remuage”
in French) operation is initiated in which
the bottles are turned from a horizontal
position to a vertical position (upside
down). This process, which traditionally is
done by hand with the help of the traditional wooden riddling racks is now
performed by machines called
“giropalletes”.
The riddling process is managed by
cautiously set-up programs overseen by our
oenologists. The metal cages, containing 504
bottles each, are rotated a small amount
each day and gradually moved to a neck-down
orientation, so that the sediment ('lees')
slides down the necks of the bottle and is
collected in the cap. At this point the
bottles are transported to an upper level
where the disgorging (“dégorgement” in
French) and packing takes place.
Disgorging
The bottles, still in a vertical orientation,
are inserted in a cooling solution which
freezes the neck of the bottle at -25 °C to
-30 °C, isolating the sediments from the
wine. The pressure built-up inside the
bottle expels the frozen plug from the
bottle by simply removing the crown cap,
leaving the wine crystal clear. At this
point a dosage of “liquore della casa” (a
blend of treasured wines refined in barrique)
is added. The bottles are then closed with a
traditional cork, sealed with a capsule and
a metal wire cage, labelled and packed. The
ROTARI is left to rest for a few months,
until all precious elements have perfectly
blended, obtaining its own characteristics,
unique bouquets and extreme finesse.
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