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Brachetto D’Acqui:
The Forgotten Love Child of Strawberry Shortcake and Hawaiian Punch’s Punchy
Okay, yeah, you’re right. Maybe not be the best visual image to put into your head (the children! Think of the poor children!). But let’s face it, there are far worse cartoon characters we could have described getting it on (Ursula from The Little Mermaid and Megatron come to mind. How about Skeletor and Mother Brain from
Captain N, The Game Master? Disturbed yet?). But none of those couplings could ever produce an offspring quite like this week’s Forgotten Grape, Brachetto D’Acqui. Only Strawberry Shortcake and Punchy. Brachetto is absolutely their love child in color, scent, flavor, even bubbly demeanor. And once you open up a bottle of this fun, fizzy, remarkable Italian red for yourself (yes I said fizzy red), you’ll understand the analogy. And you’ll hate us even more for putting into your head the image of those two innocent, loveable characters going at it with raw, naked abandon every time you take a sip of this fantastic Forgotten Grape.
Brachetto is a wine tailor-made for love and romance, since it was born out of the forbidden love that Strawberry Shortcake and Punchy once shared in the Alpine foothills of northwestern Italy (and by Alpine we mean “of or relating to the Alps,” not “of or relating to any lofty mountain anywhere”), where the Brachetto grape was birthed and raised and is still lovingly cultivated to this day. A love that fizzes gently when opened and bubbles coyly but proudly when poured out into the world. A love that glows bright red like the glistening ruby one might give to a favored lover, or the color of one’s face when one chances upon that mysterious stranger one shared a single night of nameless intimacy and rugged, animalistic passion with so many years before. The same stranger whose name you can’t quite recall but whose hands upon the small of your back and lips upon your neck you would recognize in a heartbeat.
Brachetto is a love that remains slightly sweet and effervescent even as traces of fruity tartness interlope into the mix. A love that goes just as well with a gorgeous sunset as it does with something sweet at the end of a meal as it does with the rich, decadent, fulfilling breakfast you might share with that special someone who woke up beside you. It is a love that knows only the bounds of the DOCG that regulates its production by
law. A love that has been transformed into wine. A wine culled from a Forgotten Grape
known simply and elegantly as Brachetto D’Acqui. A wine that truly is the love child
of Strawberry Shortcake and Punchy the Hawaiian Punch guy. Aloha everyone, and
have a berry, berry good time exploring all the seductive, sensual pleasures of
this week’s berry, berry sexy Forgotten Grape, BRACHETTO D’ACQUI.
What It Looks Like, What It Smells Like, and What It Tastes Like
Brachetto D'Acqui looks like:
Brachetto D'Acqui smells like:
Brachetto D'Acqui tastes like:
You’ll get the smells you’d expect from a wine that we just compared to the love child of Strawberry Shortcake and Punchy – namely strawberries and lots of red, ripe fruit – but you’ll also get a few scents you might not be expecting. Like rose petals. Yes, most Brachettos gives off a warm, floral scent of freshly plucked rose petals. It’s a standard wine aroma. And orange blossoms. Yep, continuing with the floral theme, you might also catch the scent of orange blossoms in bloom as well. Indian spices. Really? Uh-huh. Particularly the aromas of coriander and cardamom, which sometimes rise to the top when you’re sniffing a Brachetto, lovely and warm smells that will tickle your nose. The beauty of this wine is that with its effervescence, lighter alcohol,and myriad fruit flavors (more on that in a moment), there’s always a variety of different bouquets you can get from this wine. But the floral smells and the red and orange fruit smells should definitely hit you from first sniff.
Well, if you’re expecting a wine that’s supposed to taste like strawberries and fruit punch (and you should be, or else that entire analogy we made above is for naught), then you won’t be disappointed. But take note: because every Brachetto vine and producer is a little bit different, you might end up with some other flavors in there as well, particularly stronger variations of the fruits you might find in fruit punch. We tasted one Brachetto that was very, very orange. Another one had quite a bit of cranberry flavor to it, which gave it a slight but refreshing tartness. A third was like popping a cherry Sweetart in your mouth. We’re not joking, and therein lies the beauty of Brachetto. Much like the aromas, you’re going to get quite a few different flavors when you enjoy a glass, but the big twin hammers of strawberry and fruit punch should always be there. Just note we said “should”. As always, your results may vary.
• The Brachetto grape (pronounced: Bra-KET-oh) is grown almost exclusively in the Piedmonte region of northwest Italy, which is nestled within the foothills of the Alps and bordered by France and Switzerland (Turin/Torino, home of the 2006 Winter Olympics, is the capital of the region). Despite the abundance of Brachetto grown there, though, Piedmonte is better known for other wines produced in the region, namely the Barolo and Barbaresco reds made from the Nebbiolo grape (both of which are widely considered to be among the finest wines Italy produces) and the Asti-Spumante sparkling wines made from the Moscato grape. Remember the old Martini & Rossi jingle: “Yooo-ooo-oou make me sparkle/Yooo-ooo-oou make me tingle/Even the stars are brighter/When I’m with yooo-ooo-oou” Of course you do.
• Although the Brachetto grape can be grown anywhere throughout Italy, wines officially labeled as Brachetto D’Acqui (Dee-AHK-kwee) can only be made from Brachetto grown in and around the town of Acqui Terme, which lies to the south between the provences of Asti and Alexandria. (Brachetto is the grape; Acqui is the town. The name literally means Brachetto of Acqui.) Brachetto D’Acqui has been given its own DOCG classification in Italy, which stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita. This is the equivalent to the French AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) and requires that all wines designated as Brachetto D’Acqui adhere to strict production guidelines regarding where the grapes are cultivated and the percentages used in the wine. All DOCG wines must also be analyzed, tasted and approved by government-licensed personnel before they are bottled, and they are then sealed with a government-approved numbered seal over the cork and foil. Interestingly, the Piedmont region produces more DOC (which is used for larger, more diverse regional designations) and DOCG wines by volume than any other wine region in Italy, with over 84% of all Piedmonte wines bottled under a DOC or DOCG.
• For a very long time, the Brachetto grapes was thought to be related to the French Braquet grape, grown almost exclusively near the Italian border in the hills above the town of Nice. Braquet is one of the primary grapes used in the the wines of the relatively unknown French AOC of Bellet (unknown because almost all Bellet wines are
sold and drunk in and around the Nice/Cannes section of the French Riviera).
However, recent analyses of both the Brachetto and Braquet grapes have
determined that they are not related and are indeed entirely separate grapes.
Fun Facts to Impress/Bore People At Parties
From Brein’s Brain to Your Plate
“Okay, so there are really three perfect times and three perfect meals to drink Brachetto D’Acqui with, and we’ll cover all three of them, but with some twists of course. So the first meal that works well with Brachetto is breakfast. Really, forget champagne – which is traditionally an aperitif anyway – a light, fizzy red/rosé like Brachetto D’Acqui really makes for an excellent breakfast wine. And the best breakfast dishes to pair with a Brachetto are either cheese blintzes or French toast. They are rich and filling and sweet but with no real sharp flavors that will dampen the fruit and fizz of the wine. And just forget the syrup or any other topping. With a Brachetto, it’s like you’ve already got strawberries, cherries, and lots of fresh fruit on top of them already.”
“So not many people think of this, but Brachetto also makes a really nice late-afternoon aperitif, something you’d want to sip on with an appetizer outside on a veranda or patio under a warm sun. It works because it isn’t too alcoholic but will excite your taste buds and get your ready for dinner. Normally you want a drier sparkling wine as an aperitif, since the dryness and saltiness will wet your mouth and make you hungry, but Brachetto works too. Especially if paired with a strong, tangy appetizer, like a cucumber yogurt dip with either baked or fresh pita chips. Seriously. It’s like the opposite of breakfast, where the zip and tanginess of the yogurt and the coolness of the cucumber will really complement the sparkle and balance out the sweetness of the wine. Go on, try it. I think you’ll really enjoy it. ”
“The classic, classic meal pairing with Brachetto is dessert, and generally you lean toward chocolate desserts with Brachettos, since it’s one of the few wines that really pairs nicely with chocolate. But that’s so cliché; I’m going to go in a different direction, and I’m going to give you two choices. First, I’m thinking an orange panna cotta. Particularly with a Brachetto that gives you more of an orange flavor than a traditional strawberries or cherries. Light, creamy, slightly gelatinous, with a smooth but not too strong orange flavor...that’s going to be awesome with a Brachetto.
“Your other choice is a princess cake. No, no, no, not some awful Disney concoction or a cake you’d get from your local bakery with a fondant princess piped on top of it. No, a princess cake is a traditional Swedish dessert that consists of layers of cake covered with a fruit jam and then a pastry cream, stacked on top of each other, and then covered with a rich marzipan frosting. The soft layered pastry – which would be even better if it was a light sponge cake – the tang of a really piquant fruit jam like a sour cherry or a raspberry or even a biting strawberry, and then that
Mellow mild nuttiness from the almond marzipan..tell me that
wouldn’t be decadent with a sweet, sparkling Brachetto. And if you
tell me it wouldn’t, I’ll call you a a liar.”
Chef Brein Clements is the chef/owner of Restaurant Omakase in Riverside, CA, which
is quickly becoming SoCal’s answer to El Bulli. Minus the molecular gastronomy. He
began his cooking career at Domaine Chandon in the Napa Valley and moved on to become
Chef de Cuisine at the famed Balboa Bay Club before opening his own restaurant. Plus
he’s only 27. My man knows his wine and he knows his food. Each week he’ll provide
ingredient and dish recommendations that match up well with the week’s forgotten
grape. You should heed what he says. No, seriously, heed it.
Go On. Try It. You’ll Like It. 
2007 Banfi Rosa Regale
Despite it not saying so on the label or in the name, this is 100% DOCG Brachetto
D’Acqui from one of the largest wine producers in Italy. Seriously, Banfi is to Italy
what Mondavi is to the U.S. Or was to the U.S. Lots of rose petals on the nose with
a hint of cranberry too. This is the wine that instigated the whole Hawaiian Punch
comparison, as it really has a classical fruit punch flavor to match its effervescence,
which is pretty light. Only 7% alcohol too, so you can enjoy a glass or three without
worry. Our Friends at Napacabs.com swear by this stuff and have bottles available
right this second. So click through and buy one to try on your own. You’re definitely
going to want it, especially as the days get longer and the weather gets warmer.
2007 Giacomo Bologna “Braida” Brachetto D’Acqui
The “Braida” comes from the other major Brachetto producer in Piedmonte, and along
with the Rosa Regale, is the Brachetto you’re more likely to find available outside
of the motherland. The Braida is redder but less effervescent and has slightly less
alcohol (only 5.5%) than the Rosa Regale. It also has more spiciness on the nose
and finishes tarter than other Brachettos we tasted (if you haven’t guessed, this
was our Sweetart wine). There was some orange to go with the cherry and cranberry
as well. Brein wanted me to tell you that this wine would be perfect with Indian
food, specifically samosas or chicken Sugg. Our new Friends at La Boedga Wines can
ship you a bottle so you can compare and contrast this to the Banfi and determine
just which of these two Brachetto behemoths is the most dominant and right for your
palate.
NV (Non-vintage)Malvira’ “Birbet” Brachetto
To be honest, we were only going to go with two Brachettos this time because that’s
all we could find under the “affordable and easy for you to procure” umbrella that
we subscribe to here at ForgottenGrapes.com. But then Brein surprised us by bringing
along this little beauty from his own stocks at Restaraunt Omakase for our tasting.
It not only stopped us in our tracks but forced us to cheat a little. This is 100%
Brachetto from Piedmonte, but not from the Brachetto D’Acqui DOCG. Also, the makers
of this wine blend together wines from different years before the secondary fermentation,
which is why it is a non-vintage wine. It had a more pronounced ruby color than the
other Brachettos, and we got a ton of oranges both on the nose (more blossomy) and
on the tongue (more pure orange) with just a hint of grenadine. One member of our
tasting squadron thought this is what you’d get if you mixed Strawberry and Orange
Fanta together. You can decide that for yourself. You’re on your own trying to tracking
this one down
(good luck!) or you can do what we do – stop by
Restaurant Omakase and beg Brein for a taste!
Think you’ve got a better pop culture icon to describe Brachetto d’Acqui than what we came up with? Let us know in our Comments section. If it’s good enough, we may use it in a future update.
Taste, smell, or see something different? Let us know in our Comments section.
Know something about Brachetto D’Acqui that we don’t? Share it with us and other wine lovers out there in our Comments section.
Think you can pair food and wines together better than Brein can? Share your best food pairings with Brachetto D’Acqui in our Comments section and see what the master has to say.
Our Friend of the Forgotten Grapes Tasting Squadron tastes all of these wines ahead
of time to ensure that you aren’t getting anything rotten or any clunkers. We also
try to ensure that all the wines highlighted here are affordably priced ($20 or less)
so you can try them out for yourself without having to take out a second mortgage
or sacrificing your kid (or future kid’s) college fund to do so. Lastly, the Friends
of the Forgotten Grapes has relationships with all the fine wine purveyors we link
to in this section. We know them, we trust them. You can order these wines from them
online right now and be trying them out in the next couple of days. Do yourself a
favor and order from them by using the links below. It’s totally worth it.
Do you remember Ring Pops? Specifically Cherry Ring Pops, with their fire-engine/Ferrari red translucence offset by that plastic disk of green or blue or purple that you were supposed to strap onto your finger and lick? Man, they were tasty. Messy, but tasty. Personally I always preferred the grape or blue raspberry ones...but I digress. That Ring Pop red color is what’s going to be staring back at you from inside a glass of Brachetto D’Acqui. That and a whole lot of tiny bubbles. Brachetto is a slightly sparkling red wine, so you’re going to get the same pearl necklace ring of effervescence around the edge of your glass that you’d get with a Champagne or other sparkling wine. Now the color of the wine itself can dip into a slightly darker garnet red or even a burnt orange (hook ‘em Horns!) depending on the producer and the age, but odds are, if you’re drinking Brachetto, it’s going to be the same color as your trampy party-girl friend from college’s favorite lipstick. Fortunately, Brachettos are typically lower in alcohol than most wines (usually only about 5-7% ABV), so you won’t have to worry about holding your friend’s hair back if she drinks too much of the stuff.
Know of a bottle of Brachetto D’Acqui that we absolutely should try? Tell us about it in our Comments section.
