The wine started with a little frizzante that dissipates rather quickly. The color is on the lighter side of red and the aromas are truly sweet.
WINE DETAILS:
Grape: Brachetto
Alcohol: 5.5%
Wine: Pineto
Vintage: 2017
Winery: Marenco
DOCG: Brachetto D’acqui
Location: Piedmont, Italy
Date: 11/3/21
Distributor: AW&S
Curious Synonyms: Borgogna, Birbet
Nerd Alert: black-skinned Italian wine grape variety responsible for sweet, frothy Brachetto d’Acqui from Piedmont. Since its elevation to DOCG status in 1996, Brachetto D’Acqui has almost always produced its wines either frizzante (fizzy) or spumante (sparkling), with a noticeable level of sweetness. It is produced by macerating the must with the grape skins for approximately two days, during which time the characteristic ruby pigment leaches out. After fermentation, the wine is aged in bottle for three months or more, then released to the public. It is often touted as lovers’ wine and routinely features in Valentine’s Day sales.
So I learned Birbet is the name they give the grape in Roero on account of rules and regulations of DOCG and since they can’t use the name of the grape, they apparently made up a new name. So that would mean the wines would be less expensive making Birbet the more accesible version of D’Acqui.
Personal Note: I feel at a loss that it wasn’t until just recently that I found out this is (presumably) the grape in the wine gifted to Cleopatra by Caesar and Marco Antonio. I make that disclaimer because D’acqui needs to be 100% Brachetto as per the DOCG rules. There’s something about roman-egyptian tales (real or not) that I find enchanting and of course wine has a role in them.
The wine started with a little frizzante that dissipates rather quickly. The color is on the lighter side of red and the aromas are truly sweet. Candied red fruit, maybe a little creamy but it’s just a hint because it doesn’t have the body to be creamy. It’s the idea of creamy, how about that? I have read that it pairs well with chocolate (I mean, V Day wine…how could it not?) so I went ahead and did just that. Nothing fancy. Just some Hershey bar. Maybe some M&M’s. Perhaps…a Kit Kat here and there. I mean…it is the aftermath of Halloween and I do need to get rid of all that candy.
Alcohol wise it’s really low. It has less alcohol than an IPA beer. But it doesn’t feel overly sweet. I mean, there’s like so many levels of sweetness (Thanks Germany 🙂 ) but its a different league. This was a very nice surprise, especially on account of being able to find it locally.
Even after a second day on the fridge, this screwcap wine kept some of it’s frizzante bubbles, and the flavor was intact. I really enjoy when a wine has such longevity without going the efforts of taking the air out or coravining it.
One thing I read that grabbed my attention and of course will go into the ‘must acquire’ list, is the fact that even though rarely, they make dry table wine with this grape. So if anybody knows of an american distributor that carries one…drop me a line.
Thoughts?
*Extended notes on website.
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*Sources for the wine facts are from: Wine Searcher, Wikipedia, Vivino, wine.com, and the wineries websites.
