Brachetto d'Acqui

Status

Brachetto d'Acqui became a DOC in 1969 and a DOCG in 1996.¹ The text used here is the version in force in 2020, last modified by ministerial decree of 7 August 2019.¹ Later amendments may exist.

Zone

The zone covers 26 municipalities: 18 in the province of Asti and 8 in the province of Alessandria.¹

Grapes

Brachetto must make up at least 97%. The remaining 3% may come from other varieties suitable for Piedmont.¹

Types

The disciplinare lists three types:¹

• Brachetto d'Acqui or Acqui (still);
• Spumante;
• Passito.

Only the spumante is a sparkling wine. See sparkling red and sweet sparkling wine.

Method

The spumante may be made in autoclave or by fermentation in the bottle. The whole process, including bottle ageing, must last at least one month.¹ See tank method and traditional method.

Sweetness

The spumante may be labelled from extra-brut to dolce.¹ See sugar scale.

Yield

Source: disciplinare.¹

Neighbours

Brachetto d'Acqui shares its provinces with Asti DOCG, which also makes aromatic sparkling wine, but from Moscato bianco.² No official production volume for Brachetto d'Acqui was verified for this page.

Brachetto d'Acqui and Asti compared