Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG: The Sweet Wine With “Joyful” Bubbles
Introduction
In the quintessential land of Nebbiolo, the home place of the complex Barolo and Barbaresco, there is an easy-drinking and “sui generis” sweet DOCG that is departing from all the others.
You are thinking about Moscato d’Asti, aren’t you?! Well, we don’t want to let you down but we actually are going in a completely opposite direction as we are about to analyze the unique Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG. Apart from the bubbles, comparing the two wines is like comparing apples and oranges indeed.
Brachetto d’Acqui isn’t the sweet wine people usually think about when it comes to sipping a “meditation wine”. But this is great because this isn’t the unique selling point of the “fizzy” DOCG. We like to define Brachetto as that sort of wine meant to drink not to think…
You don’t understand what we mean, do you? Don’t worry, you will once you taste it.
The Grape: Brachetto
In this section, we are about to discuss the main grape variety used to make this light, sweet, frothy red wine. We will further analyze the DOCG and its law requirements in the next paragraph.
The Origins
The origins of Brachetto are uncertain. It seems it comes from the hills of Monferrato spanning the provinces of Asti and Alessandria. It’s in the latter that it was first mentioned by Di Rovasenda in 1877 (José Vouillamoz, Jancis Robinson, and Julia Harding, 2012).
Today, Brachetto is cultivated especially around Acqui Terme in the provinces of Asti and Alessandria. There were 1,280 ha of planted vineyards in Piedmont in 2001.
Viticultural Characteristics
- Early-ripening;
- Average to low yields;
- Remarkable high acidity levels;
- Low tannin levels;
- Low alcohol content;
- Low-bodied wine;
- Susceptible to the viruses;
- Unique of Astia and Alessandria;
The common traits shared by every Brachetto d’Acqui are primary aromas of red fruits and flowers. As everyone knows, these are the aromas related to the grape variety itself.
These are the characteristics to look at when drinking a Brachetto, that will never go any further than this. Especially because this DOCG doesn’t have aging potential. Buy it and drink it as soon as possible to enjoy it to its fullest.
The DOCG, Its Styles, And The Best Producers
Brachetto d’Aqui was granted DOCG in 1996.
By law, Brachetto grapes must make up at least 97% of the blend. However, the majority of the producers make this DOCG as a monovarietal wine. We are in Piedmont after all…
It’s important to mention that this is one of the 11 Italian DOCG entirely devoted to making sweet wines. The majority of us know the “fizzy” style of Brachetto d’Acqui. However, two are the styles you can come across:
- Sparkling;
- Passito;
Both of them only exist in the sweet version and the sparkling one can be made according to the Traditional Method or Charmat Method.
These are the Wine Jokers’ recommendations:
Conclusions
We truly believe we brought to your attention one of the most underrated Italian sweet treasures. Not only is Brachetto d’Acqui extremely affordable, but it’s even very versatile.
We have never considered the idea of pairing fruit and wine. Scholar never suggests it, and we honestly think that it’s really hard to find a good match for fruit. However, we wouldn’t mind pairing a Brachetto d’Acqui with a cup of juicy strawberries topped up with soft whipped cream. Could it get any better than this? Yes… a splash of melted chocolate (never higher than 70% cacao for Brachetto…) could spice things up even more.
Once again, remember guys no wine must be snubbed. Even something as simple as a Brachetto d’Acqui can give you unforgettable memories.