Brachetto is an autochthonous grape of Italy. In 1877, Count Giovanni di Rovasenda listed the grape in his landmark Saggio di una ampelografia universale (Essay on Universal Ampelography).
The origin of this grape is the Piedmont region of Italy in the area of Acqui from which it gets the eponymous name Brachetto d'Acqui.
A professional publication that names and identifies the variety is: Calo, A., Scienza, A., and Costacurta, A., Vitigni d'Italia, p. 218-219, Edagricole-Edizione della Calderini, Bologna, Italy (2001). Dr Anna Schneider CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche), Istituto di Virologia Vegetale Sezione di Grugliasco Torino), Italia has done considerable research on this grape and has advised that based on her DNA testing the Piedmont Brachetto is not the same as the French Brachet (aka: Braquet) which was indicated in Jancis Robinson's wine grape description.
Pete Anderson, owner of an Italian vine research vineyard Eusinus in Carlsbad California, discovered that this varietal had been received by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Germplasm Repository at Geneva, NY in May 1969. Cuttings were presented by the Istituto Sperimentale Viticoltura, Conegliano Italia.The vines were later transferred to the National Clonal Germplasm Repository at Davis, CA.
It is documented by the DVIT number 2906 and Plant Inventory number PI 342668. Cuttings from the DVIT 2906 vines were propagated in Eusinus for some 6 years. Samples of the Eusinus vines were submitted to the Foundation Plant Service at University of California Davis for DNA testing which reported: The Eusinus reference profile for Brachetto is based on matching profiles from Italian researchers, one annotated as Brachetto, the other as Brachetto (Acqui).
The Eusinus sample also matches two samples of Brachetto, DVIT2906, from the National Clonal Germplasm Repository at Davis.
In lieu of the recency of the finding of this grape in the U.S., the commercial potential of grown and produced in the United States can only be projected from the reviews and sales of wine based on this varietal made in Italy and imported into the United States.
One such Italian producer is Banfi (Rosa Regale which is described as a rare, semi-dry, red sparkling wine). However, a list of wineries and vineyards in the United States that are currently growing and/or producing wine made from the Brachetto grape are Cougar Vineyard & Winery and Eusinus Vineyard.
