Meet the Italian Bubbly That’s Taken Over F1 Podiums

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After the trophies are presented, the overture to George Bizet’s Carmen is cued up, and the dignitaries scurry out of the way, the top three drivers of a Formula 1 Grand Prix begin hosing each other down with sparkling wine. But for the last few seasons, that hasn’t been bottles of Champagne they’ve been celebrating with on the podium. Savvy label-spotters might catch a glimpse of the name “Ferrari” emblazoned in black letters on a clean white background affixed to a three-liter bottle of Ferrari Trentodoc, made with 100 percent Chardonnay from the foothills of the Italian Alps, but they still might not know exactly what’s inside.

Ferrari Trento , made in the style the Italians call metodo classico , has been the official sparkling wine of F1 since 2021. The partnership’s origins began the year before, when the winery’s owners, the Lunelli family (who purchased the winery from founder Giulio Ferrari in 1952), began conversations with the racing organization. And even as much of the sports world was sidelined by pandemic lockdowns, the company behind the winery, Gruppo Lunelli, still could envision a positive trajectory for F1. “We were confident that there would be a return to social events and hopeful that Formula 1 would continue its ascent in popularity and prestige,” says Camilla Lunelli, vice president of Ferrari Trento.

That strategy paid off. Since appearing on F1 podiums and hospitality areas at races, Ferrari’s export sales have more than doubled—and in the U.S. market they’ve tripled between 2020 and 2023. Some of the strongest growth has been in Florida, Nevada, and Texas, the U.S. states that host GPs. “The partnership has contributed to strengthen Ferrari Trento’s brand awareness and reputation worldwide and had a strong impact on sales, which have increased significantly,” Lunelli says. Ferrari has ridden the wave of F1’s popularity growth. The sport’s annual revenue has increased nearly 75 percent, to $3.2 billion, since Liberty Media obtained broadcasting rights in 2017, and deals with ESPN and the 2018 launch of F1 TV, a live-action streaming service, have kept the momentum up with home viewers as well as those who can drop big bucks to attend a race.

F1 victories are always celebrated with Jeroboams of Ferrari Trentodoc on the podium. Drivers such as Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Charles Leclerc showered each other and anyone within reach between sips. Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo began drinking Champagne from his shoe after a Grand Prix win in 2016, and he has continued the tradition with F1’s switch to Ferrari. Far from being offended by seeing her family’s northern Italian sparkler chugged from a sweaty racing boot, Lunelli shrugs off Ricciardo’s “shoey” as a bit of F1 showmanship.

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The Lunelli family has a long history of pouring wine at sporting events, including skiing’s World Cup and Alpine Ski World Championships, winter and summer Olympics, tennis’s Italian Open, and a partnership with soccer team Juventus. They had high expectations for the F1 partnership, especially because of the popularity of the Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive , which launched in 2019. “We anticipated and have seen consistent, strategic investment in important markets through expansion of the grand prix calendar,” Lunelli says .

Ferrari has been at the forefront of innovation since its founding in 1902, when Trento was still a part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. After studies in Italy and training in France, Giulio Ferrari was the first to produce sparkling wine in the area, which now boasts almost 60 producers making traditional method sparkling wine from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Meunier from vineyards situated at up to 2,950 feet in altitude. Ferrari has been named “Sparkling Wine Producer of the Year” six times at the Champagne and Sparkling Wines World Championships. Well known in Italy and considered to be part of the Italian lifestyle, it was poured for world leaders at the G7 summit in Puglia just a few weeks ago.

Lunelli points out that regular-sized bottles of Ferrari Trento Formula 1 Limited Edition as well as Jeroboams are available throughout the U.S., while those who want a rare souvenir can bid on original Jeroboams signed by winning drivers on F1’s official site , with proceeds from this year’s auctions going to Make a Wish International. Wine lovers looking to enjoy Ferrari’s leader of the pack should keep an eye out for Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore, which, like the F1 bottlings, is made with 100 percent Chardonnay. Flavors of Granny Smith apple and Bartlett pear mingle with bracing acidity and soft savory notes are sure to get your heart racing.

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