Italian sparkling wine producer Ferrari Trento has reported booming interest in its wares in the US, following a sponsorship deal with Formula One.

The sport’s popularity, boosted by Netflix docu-drama series 'Drive To Survive', is “growing dramatically” providing an “incredible opportunity” for the brand, the winery's CEO said.

While Ferrari Trento typically focuses on the on-premise for its export markets, demand in the US has propelled it into retail and it is struggling to keep up with demand, CEO Matteo Lunelli told Just Drinks in Italy last week.

The company, part of the Lunelli group, is also investing in a new winery at its site in Trento to increase storage capacity as demand grows.

“Formula One is an incredible opportunity to present our wines, since there are 500m fans,” Lunelli said. “It is growing dramatically in the US.”

He said the brand is doing particularly well in retail in grand prix-hosting states Florida and Texas.

“In the US, what we are seeing is that the awareness of the brand created by Formula One is starting to create more interest in rotation in retailers… the problem is we do not have enough bottles at the moment,” he added.

Growing to meet increased demand

To meet growing demand, Ferrari Trento is moving some its domestic allocation to other markets. Italy is its largest market, with the US in second place.

Ferrari Trento's annual production is around 7m bottles. To increase supply the winery is also looking at higher altitude vineyards, which are becoming easier sites to grow vines due to global warming.

The brand has 135ha of vineyards, all certified organic since 2017, and is the largest private estate in Trentino. It also works with 695 growers in Trentino to supplement grape supplies, as vineyard ownership is typically fragmented in the region.

Lunelli Group has also invested in a new winery for storage. Trento DOC wines have to be aged for a minimum of 15 months in order to carry the appellation on the label.

Building of the 12,000sq-metre winery began two years ago and is expected to be completed within five years.

Alongside the storage facilities, Ferrari Trento is investing in a visitor experience with a restaurant and tasting room, and capacity for 50,000 people annually. It currently receives around 6-7,000 visitors.

The initial three-year deal to become the official sparkling wine of the motor racing championship has now been extended to five years. It was the first non-French brand to be sprayed on the sport's podium.

Although aptly named for the partnership, Ferrari Trento has no relationship to the Ferrari Formula One team or car manufacturer.

“We never want to create confusion between us and Ferrari cars,” Lunelli said. “But in a sense, every time we go abroad if we say Ferrari, everybody will think about the red car.

“I thought: ‘Okay, since this is going to happen anyway, let's go into a world where Ferrari has always been protagonist – but we will present ourselves as Ferrari Trento.’”

While some of the F1 team was “skeptical” at first, Lunelli said: “What has been extraordinary is that in every single GP all over the world all the guests have appreciated Ferrari and there was no problem not having Champagne. I say to them: ‘What if someone asks you for a Barolo? You say no I don’t have a Barolo, I have a Bordeaux.’”

He said it would take “a long time” for sparkling wines to rival the size of the Champagne market, but “in Italy we have demonstrated in Trentino that there is potential”.

He added: “The market is growing for sparkling wine. I think it's the most contemporary wine because we are all looking for lighter, more elegant food and it is the perfect pairing.”