The career path of a Champagne chef de cave has long been a predictable one. Serve your apprenticeship at several local houses, perhaps a co-op too for balance, work your way up to a number two role somewhere respectable then bide your time until one of the big names finally slips into retirement. The idea of securing this top spot only to leave Champagne, so secure in its position as the pinnacle of sparkling wine, is unheard of. Until now.

Earlier this month Italian producer Ferrari Trento sent excitable tremors through the wine world with news that Champagne Charles Heidsieck chef de cave Cyril Brun had jumped ship to take the helm there.

It is little surprise that Ferrari Trento should seek to poach such expertise. Champagne has been an overt source of inspiration ever since founder Giulio Ferrari learnt the art of sparkling wine production there in the late 19^th century. He even brought back the region’s Chardonnay grape to plant in his own Italian vineyards.

Today, under the ownership of the Lunelli family, Ferrari Trento has demonstrated the level of ambition, both in terms of quality and profile, that you’d expect from a Champagne house. It has even stepped into the shoes of former long-term sponsor Champagne Mumm as official sparkling wine of Formula 1 racing.

Far more interesting is the question of why Brun decided to take this step from the top job at one of the most respected houses in one of the world’s most famous wine regions to this mountainous backwater. How many people have even heard of the Trentodoc appellation, never mind have any awareness of its wine prowess?

Brun’s comment on taking up the post suggests that it’s precisely this challenge, the chance to tread fresh ground, that has inspired this move. “I am convinced of the quality of Ferrari Trento and of the potential of Trentodoc,” he said. “The opportunity to create traditional method sparkling wines from the unique, mountainous terroirs of Trentino is a privilege and an exciting opportunity to apply my knowledge and experience to a new context.”

That shift from the rolling hills of Champagne to the mountain viticulture of Trentodoc, sandwiched scenically between Lake Garda and the Dolomites, will certainly offer a learning curve. Although armed with a lifetime’s knowledge of traditional method sparkling wine production, Brun recognises that the parameters here are rather different.

“First, there will be a phase of understanding the terroir before considering any changes,” he insisted. “Winemaking is all about details. We will elevate, step by step, by focusing on the small details.”

It’s not entirely unknown for Champagne chefs de cave to dabble outside their home region. The Moët Hennessy team shares its expertise with other wine brands in this multinational group, as does Louis Roederer’s Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon with sister venture Roederer Quartet in California. Dom Pérignon’s former chef de cave Richard Geoffroy recently took on a consultancy role at Franciacorta’s Bellavista, but even that was safely after embarking on his clearly restless retirement.

Likewise, there has been plenty of movement within Champagne’s figureheads in recent years, but it’s always been a case of reshuffling the pack. Dominique Demarville hopped from Veuve Clicquot to Laurent-Perrier, Séverine Frerson left Piper Heidsieck for the top job at Perrier-Jouët, Didier Mariotti left Mumm to fill Demarville’s vacated post at Veuve Clicquot. Brun’s move represents the first time anyone has really stepped off the Champagne carousel.

Apart from following his progress at Ferrari Trento, it will be fascinating to see if any other Champagne chefs de cave decide to follow suit. From England to Tasmania, Cava and its awkwardly estranged sibling Corpinnat to California, not to mention some increasingly serious Sekt producers and other Alpine enclaves such as Franciacorta, there is no shortage of aspiring sparkling wine regions these days. What better statement of intent than to poach a high-profile name from Champagne?

Hopefully Brun’s new package includes a ski pass too. After all, there are some areas where Reims simply can’t compete.