Brachetto d’Acqui, The Promise of Undying Love

LOVE: As a wine lover, I like to read the word “love” in this way: Legacy, Occasion, Vintage, Emotion.
Every glass of wine offers me the Occasion to enjoy, Vintage after Vintage, the Legacy of a land for a pure, mind-blowing Emotion.

In a word: every glass is LOVE. While drinking wine, I can see breathtaking landscapes, flourishing soils, pioneering heritage, the commitment to sustainable viticulture, and environmentally friendly winemaking processes.

But, most of all, I can see LOVE for making the very best in wine in terms of captivating hues and tones, enticing aromas, and pleasant flavours.

So, sip by sip, I can enjoy drops of infinite LOVE.

For this year, my dear fizz lover in love, I’d like to take you to the Italian region of Piedmont, which boasts a historical legacy in making superb red wines such as Barolo and Barbaresco, crisp white wines such as Arneis and Timorasso, and last but not least, vibrant sparkling wines such as the red bubbly of Brachetto d’Acqui, made from the native grape of Brachetto.

And it’s right here where my story begins.

In the heart of the Piedmont region lies a beautiful land spread over the Monferrato hills, a UNESCO Heritage, with a centuries-old legacy in making remarkable sparkling wines through the Martinotti method.

It was in the year 1895 when Federico Martinotti, Asti’s Oenology Institute Director, created a new way of producing bubbly by using vats to allow the second fermentation to happen in 30 days, with the aim of offering on the market a light, approachable, easy to drink version of bubbles as a result of a winning combination of territory and grapes.

The tradition of making wines in this area, whose main village is Acqui Terme, goes back millennia; during Roman times, it was said that a red wine named

“Vinum Aquense” was Cleopatra’s favourite, brought to her by Caio Giulio Cesare and Marco Antonio as a gesture to honour the Queen of Egypt. Today, Brachetto d’Acqui can rightly be considered as a descendant of that vivacious and highly aromatic Roman red wine, maintaining its fruity and floral charming character unspoiled..

And this is the reason why, for this 2026 Valentine’s Day, I’d like to introduce you to a lovely pairing between Brachetto d’Acqui and a sweet creation from pastry chef Fabrizio Racca, dedicated to two people falling in love; the eternal dreamers who can’t live without each other’s love.

Mr. and Mrs. Heart are two new single-serving desserts that Fabrizio Racca’s imagination has placed in an imaginary and dreamlike way, crossed by a light shower of hearts where emotions have a simple and profound form, like the ingredients contained in the two desserts: dark chocolate, raspberry, and wild strawberries for Mr. Heart and white chocolate, raspberry and orange blossom for Mrs. Heart.

To enjoy this sweet creation to its fullest, I suggest pairing Mr Heart with Brachetto d’Acqui Semi Sparkling Vintage 2025 from Braida winery and Mrs Heart with Brachetto d’Acqui Sparkling Vintage 2025 “Rosa Regale” from Banfi winery to help romance to flow.

Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG Semi Sparkling Vintage 2025 Braida

Light ruby red colour with purple hues, it offers a lively and fine mousse. Intense, fragrant and pleasant, aromatic bouquet featuring notes of ripe red fruit and withered rose. It’s sweet, delicate, well balanced, with a lingering, aromatic persistence.

Pure emotion will make your heart beat with joy.

Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG Sparkling Vintage 2025 “Rosa Regale” Banfi

The sound of its bubbles will tell you about a sparkling love. Brilliant ruby colour. Its bouquet reveals intense floral notes of rose and wild berries, while the flavour will conquer you with its signature, lively aromatic style.

Maybe love is the most inexplicable thing in the world, and everyone knows it’s not so easy to find. But love is all around us, and you don’t need witchcraft or a spell to get it. When it comes to human nature, I’m sure that with a pinch of good luck, you may find Mr or Ms Right you have been dreaming about and share a glass of Brachetto d’Acqui sparkling wine together to seal the promise of undying love.

I’d like to wish those who are in love a Valentine’s Day full of sparkle.

For those of you who haven’t found your soulmate yet, I advise you to keep your eyes on the stars; it may come out of the blue and last forever.

With love,

Stefania Ruffo

 

Photo Credits as below and Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use the images.

Photo credit for the wine: Consorzio Vini d’Aqui
vinidacqui.it
Instagram: @brachettodacqui

Photo credit for the desserts: @PEPE_fotografia
Fabrizio Racca @fabrizioracca_official
www.fabrizioracca.it