Brachetto is a red Italian wine

Italian wine

Italian wine is wine produced in Italy, a country which is home to some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Italy is the world's largest wine producer, responsible for approximately one-fifth of world wine production in 2005. Italian wine is exported largely around the world and has...

 grape variety grown predominantly in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. At one time the grape was thought to be related to the French wine

French wine

French wine is produced in several regions throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France has the world's second-largest total vineyard area, behind Spain, and is in the position of being the world's largest wine producer...

 grape Braquet

Braquet

Braquet is a red French wine grape variety grown predominantly in the Provence region of southeastern France, particularly in the Bellet Appellation d'origine contrôlée where it is used to make blend and varietal still and rosé wine. Also known as Brachet, the vine produces naturally low yields...

, but recent thought among ampelographers is that the two are distinct varieties. In Italy’s region of Piedmont the grape is somewhat more widespread: production mostly falling within an area of the provinces of Asti

Province of Asti

The Province of Asti is a province in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Asti. To the north west it borders on the province of Turin; to the south west it borders on the province of Cuneo. To the east it borders on the province of Alessandria, while in the south it...

 and Alessandria

Province of Alessandria

The Province of Alessandria is an Italian province, with a population of some 430,000, which forms the southeastern part of the region of Piedmont. The provincial capital is the city of Alessandria....

 between the rivers Bormida

Bormida

Bormida , with a population 453 spread over an area of 22.4 km², is a rural commune of the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria...

 and Belbo

Belbo

The Belbo is a river of southern Piedmont, Italy. It is a right-side tributary of the Tanaro.The Belbo rises in the Langhe, on the borders between Piedmont and Liguria in the hills of Montezemolo....

 plus various parts of the province of Cuneo

Province of Cuneo

ayr is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ....

. At Canelli

Canelli

Canelli is a comune of 10,440 inhabitants in the Province of Asti in the Italian region of Piedmont....

, on the border between the hills of Asti

Asti

Asti is a city and comune of about 75,000 inhabitants located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about 55 kilometres east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River...

 and the Lange

Lange

-People named Lange:* Algot Lange, Swedish explorer* André Lange , German bobsledder* Andrew E. Lange , U.S. astronomer* Antoni Lange, Polish poet* Artie Lange , U.S...

 proper, the grape is known as Borgogna. The most notable wine here is the red Brachetto d'Acqui

Brachetto d'Acqui

Brachetto d'Acqui is a red Italian wine that is classified as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita since 1996 and previously a Denominazione di Origine Controllata region since 1969. It is produced in the Piedmont wine region around Acqui Terme in the province of Alessandria with...

 Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) which is made in both still and spumante (fully sparkling) versions. The Piemonte Brachetto Denominazione di Origine Controllata

Denominazione di Origine Controllata

Denominazione di origine controllata is a quality assurance label for food products, especially wines and various formaggi . It is modelled after the French AOC...

(DOC), also a red wine, is made with a minimum of 85% Brachetto; it is usually still, but may be frizzante (lightly sparkling). The grape is also used for up to 10% of the blend for the Ruché

Ruché

Ruché is a red Italian wine grape variety from the Piedmont region. It is largely used in making Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato, a small production red varietal wine which was granted Denominazione di Origine Controllata status by presidential decree on October 22, 1987...

-based Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato DOC.

Wines

Brachetto tend to produce light bodied, highly aromatic wines with distinctive notes of strawberries. In the DOCG region of Brachetto d'Acqui, the grape is used to produce a slightly sweet sparkling wine that is similar to Lambrusco

Lambrusco

Lambrusco is the name of both a red wine grape and an Italian wine made principally from the grape. The grapes and the wine originate from four zones in Emilia-Romagna and one in Lombardy, principally around the central provinces of Modena, Parma, Reggio nell'Emilia, and Mantua...

 and is sometimes called the a light red equivalent of Moscato d'Asti

Moscato d'Asti

Moscato d'Asti is a "Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita" sparkling white wine produced mainly in the province of Asti, north-west Italy, and in smaller nearby regions in the provinces of Alessandria and Cuneo. The wine is sweet and low in alcohol, and often enjoyed with dessert. ...

.