Brachetto

What do you do if you just love the feel of sparkling wine, but you're also a chocoholic? You travel to the Monferrato hills just to the southeast of Asti in the Italian Piemonte ... of course.

The hills of Monferrato are a strange looking region appearing much as a 21st century gerrymandered Congressional district in the US. On the other hand, from above, it looks a bit like Pittsburgh as we have the confluence of three rivers where the Belbo and Bormida join to flow into the Tanaro.

To see pictures, the Monferrato look like they came from a fairytale. We're in rolling hills that separate the river valleys adorned with tall towers, churches in every village and dotted with medieval castles. We somewhat expect Prince Charming emerging gently whisking away his damsel in distress.

During medieval times, the area was also an important commercial stop for traders from the Mediterranean. The rivers allowed Genovese merchants heading north an excellent stopover point to tout their wares to other merchants wishing to distribute them throughout the rest of Europe.

The wine we're sampling today is known as Brachetto d'Acqui, often referred to simply by the name of the grape, Brachetto. Unlike the better known Asti Spumante (sparkling wine of Asti), Brachetto d'Acqui is a frizzante (fizzy, or semi-sparkling) wine.

What we have here is a somewhat sweet wine, with roughly 125 grams of residual sugar per liter. Said differently, in a 2-ounce (liquid) pour, that's about nearly 0.4 ounces (weight) of sugar. 

On the nose, we get lots of floral notes and candied fruit. Think of those hard-shelled candies filled with fruity syrup or liqueurs.

On the palate, we get a mass of whipped cream, that surrounds candied strawberries, dark currants, a bit of orange zest, apricot, and nectarine. The combination makes your mouth water for soft chocolate. So, pair your Brachetto d'Acqui with the likes of chocolate mousse, ganache, or a black forest cake.





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