Brachetto

Fruit forward and on the lighter side, Brachetto wines hail from Italy in the provinces of Asti and Alessandria. Brachetto wines are often celebrated for their intense aroma of strawberries and dried flowers.

Brachetto is a versatile red wine grape. It's used to make both still and sparkling wines, and as a blend or a single-varietal wine.

A prominent Brachetto blend is the Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato, where up to 10 percent of the composition is Brachetto. An off-dry sparkling wine made using Brachetto grapes is also produced in the Brachetto d'Acqui region. Sparkling Brachetto wines are the most commonly found, while still versions of Brachetto are quite rare but highly sought after.

Quick Facts

• Brachetto grapes grown outside of Brachetto must be called birbét, which translates to "the little rogue"
• In Canelli, Italy, Brachetto is referred to as borgogna
• To be labeled a Brachetto wine, at least 85 percent of the grapes must be Brachetto