Definition of Brachetto Grape
The Brachetto grape is a deep lovely purple colored red Italian grape variety (pronounced: Bra-KET-oh). Grown mainly in the northwestern region of Italy, known as Piedmont, which is located at the base of the Alps and near the French and Swiss borders. Piedmont wine region is better known for the famous Barolo and Barbaresco reds made from the Nebbiolo grape.
You can find mainly the Brachetto vineyards within the provinces of Asti and Alessandria between the rivers Bormida and Belbo, and the province of Cuneo. At Canelli, on the border between the hills of Asti and the Lange proper, the grape is known as Borgogna.
The most notable wine here is the red Brachetto d’Acqui Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) which is made in both still and spumante (fully sparkling) versions. The Piemonte Brachetto Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC), also a red wine, is made with a minimum of 85% Brachetto; it is usually still, but may be frizzante (lightly sparkling). The grape is also used for up to 10% of the blend for the Ruché-based Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato DOC.
Brachetto tend to produce light bodied, highly aromatic wines with distinctive notes of strawberries. In the DOCG region of Brachetto d’Acqui, the grape is used to produce a slightly sweet sparkling wine that is similar to Lambrusco and is sometimes called the a light red equivalent of Moscato d’Asti. (tarandroses.com)
One of our favorite Brachetto sparkler is Banfi Rosa Regale
