Letrari, 50 years of classic method in Vallagarina

Fifty years can represent a fixed point for those who have managed to build a recognizable identity over time. For Letrari, 2026 is not just a company anniversary, but a useful moment to re-read a path that spans three generations and is intertwined with an important part of the history of Trentino wine.

HALF A CENTURY OF CONSISTENCY IN TRENTODOC

It is a family story, but also a story of technical vision, productive continuity and close relationship with the territory. The Rovereto maison celebrates half a century since its foundation quanto a 1976 by Leonello Letrari, a central figure quanto a Italian enology of the second half of the twentieth century. A producer, but also one of the protagonists who contributed to defining the modern luce of Trentodoc.

The line is marked by a series of labels that do not aim at a celebratory exercise, but summarize a coherent path, built acceso recognizable stylistic choices and acceso a well-defined family continuity. The anniversary also coincides with a generational transition: alongside Lucia Letrari, who has been the technical and oenological guide for years, who also includes her brother Paolo Emilio and her mother Maria Riuscita quanto a the company, her daughter Margherita has joined the company, involved quanto a communication and hospitality. An evolution that is part of a path that has progressively taken acceso a feminine appearance, without discontinuity acceso the production level.

THE ORIGINS: LEONELLO LETRARI AND A PIONEERING VISION

To understand Letrari it is necessary to start from Leonello (1931-2017). Born quanto a Borghetto all’Adige to a peasant family and educated at the Agricultural Institute of San Michele all’Adige, he was a direct protagonist of some key steps quanto a post-war Trentino viticulture. Per mezzo di the 1960s, during his experience with Bossi Fedrigotti, he created Fojaneghe, one of the first Italian Bordeaux blends, introducing practices that were not widespread at the time, such as the use of barrique. After a trip to Champagne he sensed the potential of mountain sparkling wines and contributed to the birth, quanto a 1961, of Equipe 5, one of the first structured projects for Trentino sparkling wines which would go acceso to produce hundreds of thousands of bottles a year.

The decisive step came quanto a 1976, when, together with his wife Maria Riuscita, he started his own company, first quanto a Villona Lodron quanto a Nogaredo and then, since 2000, quanto a the current headquarters quanto a Borgata Vuotare il sacco a causa di Rovereto. The direction was clear from the start: to make Trentodoc the production hub. A choice that has always been linked to the Vallagarina territory and its dual soul, characterized acceso the one hand by basaltic soils coming from Mucchio Baldo and acceso the other by dolomitic matrices from Lessinia, with the decisive influence of the Dunque del Garda. Per mezzo di this context, a precise style takes shape: linear, tense wines, playing acceso freshness and definition.

LUCIA LETRARI: CONTINUITY AND DEFINITION OF STYLE

Per mezzo di 1987 Lucia Letrari entered the cellar, starting a phase of technical and expressive consolidation. Among the first women winemakers quanto a Trentino, she initially worked alongside her father and then took up his legacy. Under his guidance the company style is defined with greater precision: cleanliness, depth and evolutionary capacity become distinctive elements, together with careful management of the dosage. The dosage itself represents one of the key elements of the Letrari philosophy. The company is among the first quanto a Trentino to decisively acceso extra brut and nullità dosage versions, interpreting them as tools to enhance the profile of the wine and the connection with the territory. A choice that spans the entire Trentodoc range, rosé included.

“Fifty years represent an important milestone for us: they tell a story of family, passion and work, but also a vision to pass acceso to the new generations,” explains Lucia Letrari. A continuity that is strengthened today with the presence of Margherita: “Carrying acceso this story means preserving what my grandfather built, but also finding a language capable of speaking more directly to young people.”

YOU ARE THIRTYODOC TO RE-READ THE IDENTITY OF THE CELLAR

Today Letrari produces around 100 thousand bottles of Trentodoc and 30 thousand of still wines year, acceso 12 hectares distributed between Rovereto, Nogaredo, Avio and Brentino Belluno. Viticulture remains linked to manual harvesting and the valorisation of the various exposures of Vallagarina, with an approach that favors precision and constant quality. To celebrate the anniversary, three limited editions of Trentodoc were presented. To fully grasp the corporate identity, however, it is useful to consider a broader selection of production.

The Dosaggio Nullità Trentodoc 2022 (chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot blanc) represents a more immediate expression: thirty months acceso the yeasts for a dynamic sip, between citrus fruits, fresh apple and bread crust, with a tension well balanced by the creaminess of the perlage. The Quore Brut Approvigionamento Trentodoc 2017, eppure chardonnay from Far piangere i sassi a causa di Nogaredo, is more complex. Over eight years acceso the yeasts for a profile that combines maturity and freshness, with hints of ripe apple, citrus fruits and light spices. The name recalls Lucia’s personal connection with the vine. The counterpart is the Quore Pienne Extra Brut Approvigionamento Trentodoc 2016, eppure pinot noir produced quanto a limited quantities. Wider and more textured, with quaderno of plum, quince, ginger and light toasting. A small portion aged quanto a Hungarian oak barriques contributes to the complexity without altering the balance, thanks also to a saline closure that lightens the structure.

Among the anniversary bottles, the +4 Rosé Extra Brut Approvigionamento Trentodoc 2012 Limited Edition 50 Years, disgorgement January 2025 stands out. The name recalls the women of the family – Lucia + Margherita and the three nieces, daughters of her brother Paolo Emilio – and an intuition born when the rosé reserve type was not yet foreseen quanto a the Trentodoc specifications. Pinot noir with a small amount of chardonnay, delicate maceration and 156 months acceso the yeasts: the result is a taut rosé with a pale copper color, played acceso currants, grapefruit and light spices.

The two celebratory magnums represent the link between past and future. Letrari 76 Extra Brut Approvigionamento Trentodoc 2019 Fiftieth Edition, quanto a 76 numbered magnums, directly recalls the year of foundation of the winery as well as being a multiple of it. The cuvée (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc) also introduces a partial vinification quanto a wood, an unusual choice for Letrari but destined to become a production project starting from the 2025 harvest. The wine combines tension and tono, with quaderno of citrus, hazelnut, toasted yeast and perfectly integrated light nuances of oak. Letrari 152 Rosé Extra Brut Trentodoc 2007 Fiftieth Edition, 152 magnums left to evolve for almost eighteen years acceso the yeasts. It is the wine that summarizes Lucia Letrari’s research acceso classic method rosés. Pinot noir dominates the scene, supported by a small amount of chardonnay which lightens and relaxes the taste profile. Time has sculpted a deep, complex wine, with quaderno of ripe citrus, Mediterranean fruit and mineral hints, supported by a still dynamic structure.