Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
many sparkling brachettos are nothing to write
home about. I prefer the still version of bra-
chetto, but if the sparkling success of some bra-
chettos has helped the variety survive and gain
a stronger foothold, then I'm all for it. If you get
a good sparkling version, chances are you'll like
it just as much as everyone else, but the prob-
lem is just that: you have to fi nd a good one.
Many of these wines, though inexpensive, are
not particularly deep or interesting, and they
risk alienating an ever-more discerning wine-
loving public. I think that if producers want to
keep making sparkling Brachetto wines, and to
continue to enjoy strong sales, then the onus is
on the more serious among them to gradually
improve the quality of the bubbly in the bottle.
No such problems beset still versions of Bra-
chetto, most of which are downright delightful.
They are wonderfully aromatic and light bod-
ied, with lovely aromas and fl avors of sour red
cherries, sweet raspberries, cinnamon, and
nutmeg: I always fi nd it hard to put the glass
back down (in my defense, I fi nd all my friends
do the same). Often, the Brachetto experience
is akin to sipping on lightly alcoholic red-berry
juice (with or without bubbles, depending on
the producer). Its characteristics are such that it
matches well with fruit cocktails, red-berry
tarts, cherry pie, and simple cookies. It also
stands up very well to light chocolate desserts. I
have met very few people who don't like bra-
chetto once they've tried it; and its bubbly,
sweet, perfumed qualities are so different from
those of most other wines that your friends will
be not just pleasantly surprised, but enthusias-
tic, when you choose to serve it.
According to popular tradition, brachetto
was the preferred beverage of one of the most
famous characters of the Italian commedia
dell'arte, Gianduja da Gioan d'laduja, or Gio-
vanni of the Jug. The fi gure drew inspiration
for his bubbly high spirits from brachetto:
unsurprisingly, the character had the reputa-
tion of being a heavy drinker and was just as
bubbly as the wine. Having his priorities
straight, Giovanni viewed brachetto the ideal
wine with which to fi ll the jug he always car-
ried. In that respect at least, I have a lot in com-
mon with Gianduja: there can never be too
much good brachetto in my glass (or jug, or
thermos, or . . . ). I'm not alone: in Piedmon-
tese dialect, brachetto is known as
brachet per
cantè,
brachetto to sing with, or a wine so good
it makes you sing out of happiness. A glass of
the good stuff, and I guarantee you'll be sing-
ing too.
In Australia, Fred and Katrina Pizzini make
their brachetto from ten-year-old vines. They
refer to it at times as “their Pink Moscato,”
which makes the native grapes purist in me
cringe, but hey, they're the current Brachetto
pioneers Down Under, so I'm with them. In
California, Cougar Vineyards in Temecula Val-
ley also makes a Brachetto (which they call Bra-
chetto Bubbly), and to the best of my knowledge
it is the only commercial grower of this variety
in the United States.
wines to try:
Forteto della Luja*** (Piemonte
Brachetto Passito Pian dei Sogni, made from
air-dried grapes), Braida** (Brachetto d'Acqui),
Piero Gatti** (Piemonte Brachetto), Marenco**
(Pineto Brachetto d'Acqui), Isolabella della
Croce* (Brachetto d'Acqui Trentasei), and
Fratelli Rovero* (Piemonte Brachetto). Also try
Barattieri di Santo Pietro**, an estate in Emilia-
Romagna that strangely enough makes an out-
standing brachetto (Il Faggio) in very small
quantities far away from its Piedmont habitat.
Brachettone del Roero
where it's found:
Piedmont.
national reg-
istry code number:
not registered.
color:
red.
All Brachettone's names—it is also called
Brachetto a Grappolo Grande or Brachetto
Lungo del Roero—clearly indicate it has bigger
bunches and berries than Brachetto: the
-one
ending in Italy always implies “bigger.” Its
grapes are also more aromatic than Brachetto's,
with aromas so intense that
Moscato
s will
spring to mind. Brachettone grows best on well-
exposed sites with soils that are not excessively
