From Start to Finish with Brachetto d'Acqui #ItalianFWT

This month the Italian Food, Wine & Travel - #ItalianFWT - blogging group is celebrating the sweet wines of Italy. Susannah at Avvinare invited us to uncork, pour, pair, and share sweet wines. She wrote: "Italian sweet wines don’t get their fair share of attention in my view and it’s a real shame. Up and down the peninsula you can find great sweet wines made from indigenous varieties. Often they are made after drying grapes either on the vine or in small boxes. Each region has their traditions and we will see the wealth of what Italy has to offer this weekend during our twitter chat."

You can follow along the journey with my fellow #ItalianFWT bloggers.  You can also chat with us live this Saturday morning at 11am EST on Twitter at #ItalianFWT.  Hope to see you there!

The #ItalianFWT Line-Up

• Jen from Vino Travels features Passito from Pantelleria
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla features From Start to Finish with Brachetto d’Acqui
• Susannah of Avvinare features Red Sweet Wines from il Bel Paese.
• Gwendolyn of Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley features Passito Dessert Wine by Anselmi: No Other Dessert Needed!
• Jeff of Foodwineclick! features The Sordid Tale of Marsala Wine

In My Glass...

As I usually do when I'm hunting for new-to-me Italian gems, I sought the advice of my friends Anna and Emanuele who own two local Italian restaurants. I told them I wanted something other than a Vin Santo and Anna suggested a Brachetto. When I went to pick up a bottle, Emanuele told me that I could pour it as an apertivo and with dessert. I was intrigued.

This wine has an intense pink hue and is fragrant and aromatic. The delicate bubbles dissipate to reveal a sweet, delicate taste that pairs well with both  savories and sweet. So, I opted to pour it for one meal from start to finish.

On My Plate...
To start off the dinner - as an aperitivo - I poured the Brachetto with a variety of cheeses, charcuterie, and a dried fig cake with almonds.

To finish off the dinner, I poured it, again, with small scoops of gelato.

I considered scooping a chocolate gelato as the wine could certainly stand up to that. I could also envision it with a lightly sweet fig or mildly tart citrus gelato. But, in the end, I wanted something sweet and earthy. I looked for a hazelnut gelato and ended up with a pistachio.

Emanuele was correct. This Brachetto was a delightful wine from start to finish of a meal. Cin cin.