Torelli Brachetto d'Acqui 2025

This Brachetto comes from the hills of the Langa Astigiana and the Alto Monferrato Acquese, the historic cradle of the grape variety, in southern Piedmont. The Torelli estate is based in Bubbio, a hillside village where vines have shaped the landscape for centuries, within the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato vineyard landscape recognised by UNESCO. Pioneers of organic viticulture in Italy since 1987, the Torelli family grows its vines without synthetic products, amid wild flora rich in wild orchids.

The Brachetto grapes, from certified organic vineyards, are harvested ripe to preserve all their aromatic richness. The wine is made using the method handed down by the winegrowers of these hills for centuries, already described in 1606 by Giovan Battista Croce: a deliberately partial fermentation that retains a large share of the grape's natural sugars and leaves only a very moderate alcohol level. The result is a tender, sweet and delicately sparkling red wine, bottled young to keep the freshness of its fruit intact.

This wine reveals notes of rose, wild strawberry, raspberry, cherry, redcurrant, violet petal, lychee and musk. The intensely floral nose recalls a bouquet of fresh roses mingled with small red berries. The palate is tender and sweet, refreshed by a fine, light bubble that lifts the sweetness. Low in alcohol, the wine ends on a fruity, fragrant finish; serve well chilled.

Ah, Italy, what a beautiful, hedonistic country, the land of la dolce vita, but how difficult it is to understand its wine industry! The key to understanding the appellation system in Italy is to think of it as several small countries rather than a single homogeneous nation, as each region has its own appellation system. Italy can offer wine lovers a multitude of wines with varied and unique flavors and styles, bottles brimming with surprise and creativity. Unfortunately, it also produces a large quantity of soulless, characterless wines sold under their most commercially useful and prestigious name: Pinot Grigio, Chianti, Valpolicella, Lambrusco, Prosecco, and many others... But let's talk a little history. Viticulture in Italy dates back to antiquity and originated in Greece. The Etruscans are said to have introduced the vine, and Greek immigrants improved and modified the grape varieties, subsequently calling the country "Oenotria": the land of wine. At the height of the Roman Empire, wine held an important place in daily life, and certain regions already distinguished themselves by the excellence of their product. The Romans also established numerous vineyards in Europe, leaving an indelible mark of their conquest. Today, Italy is the world's largest wine producer, ahead of France. Italy is divided into three climatic zones. The northern mountains have a rather harsh mountain climate. The plains of the "central boot" are characterized by a continental climate with cold winters and hot, stormy summers. In the southern part of the Italian boot, the Mediterranean climate prevails, with very hot and dry summers, not forgetting the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. In short, Italy produces a wide variety of wines thanks to its 200 different grape varieties, many of which originated in its own lands. It is a country as complex as its wines, which deserve to be explored!