Braquet is a red French wine grape variety grown predominantly in the Provence region of southeastern France, particularly in the

Bellet Bellet is a French surname. Notable people with this name include: * Corinne Rey-Bellet * François Bellet * Jean-Pierre Bellet * Maurizio Bellet * Pierre-Paul Pecquet du Bellet Other * ''Bellet'', a type of Provence wine Provence (Proven ...

'' Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) where it is as both a blending and varietal grape in still and ''

rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact method. ...

'' wines. Also known as Brachet, the vine produces naturally low yields and light bodied wines that are delicately perfumed. Recent thought among ampelographers is that Braquet is not related to the more aromatic Italian wine grape of the Piedmont region known as Brachetto.J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 101 Oxford University Press 2006

History

Documents from 1783-1784 describe Braquet growing in the Provençal towns of Cannes, Grasse and Nice where it was said to be a good table grape and blending variety in the local wines. The exact origins of the name ''Braquet'' is unknown but Master of Wine

Jancis Robinson Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the ''Financial Times'', and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She ...

speculates that it might be a local family name of one of the variety's original propagators.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pg 134, Allen Lane 2012

Viticulture

Braquet is a mid-ripening variety that naturally produces low

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

yields of medium-sized berries even without severe pruning. The variety tends to thrive on poor vineyard soils and in hot and dry conditions. The grape's main

viticultural hazard This is a list of diseases of grapes (''Vitis'' spp.). Bacterial diseases Fungal diseases Miscellaneous diseases and disorders Nematodes, parasitic Phytoplasma, virus and viruslike diseases See also *''Ampeloglypter ater'' *''Ampe ...

is a susceptibility to

botrytis Botrytis may refer to: * ''Botrytis'' (fungus), the anamorphs of fungi of the genus ''Botryotinia'' **''Botrytis cinerea'', a mold important in wine making *Botrytis, the cauliflower cultivar group of ''Brassica oleracea ''Brassica oleracea'' is ...

Wine regions and AOC regulations

In 2008 there were 30 acres (12 hectares) of Braquet planted in France, mostly around the town of Nice where the variety is known as Brachet. Here it is a permitted variety in the Bellet AOC where it is blended with

Fuella Nera Fuella is a red wine grape that is grown primarily in the Bellet region near Nice. It is considered one of the oldest vines in southeastern France and produces wines that are deep colored and reflective of their ''terroir (, ; from ''terr ...

to make up at least 60% of the blend for the AOC red and rosé wines. Other varieties that can be blended with Braquet in Bellet include

Grenache Grenache () or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditi ...

and Cinsault. Braquet grapes destined for AOC wine production in Bellet must be harvested to a yield no greater than 40 hectoliters/hectare with the finished wine needing to attain a minimum alcohol level of 10.5%P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pg 40 Firefly Books 2004

Styles

According to Jancis Robinson, Braquet tends to make a light bodied, slightly floral wine with very little color. While it is often used as a blending grape, its light pigment does lend itself well to ''

'' production which is what most varietal examples of Braquet tend to be.

Relationship to other varieties

Due to the similarities in name, Braquet was often confused with the Piedmont wine grape Brachetto noted for the '' Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita'' (DOCG)

Brachetto d'Acqui Brachetto d'Acqui (; pms, brachet d'Àich ) is a red Italian wine that is classified as a ''Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita'' (DOCG) since 1996 and previously a ''Denominazione di Origine Controllata'' (DOC) region since 1969. It ...

. However DNA testing has confirmed that they are separate varieties. The Provençal grape

Calitor Calitor or Calitor noir is a red French wine grape variety. It was previously widely cultivated in southern France, in particular in Provence, but is now very rare, almost extinct. Historically used as mainly a blending variety, Calitor gives ...

is another variety that Braquet shares some synonyms with and is often confused for. The white wine grape ''Braquet Blanc de Nice'' is a white color mutation of Braquet.

Synonyms

Over the years Braquet has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Brachet (in Nice), Bracke, Calito du Languedoc, Canseron and Pecoui Touar du Var. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC)
Braquet
'' Accessed: March 24th, 2013

References

External links

* {{cite web , url=http://www.vinsdebellet.com/english/html/un_peu_d_histoire.htm , title=The Wines of Bellet , url-status=dead , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019113433/http://www.vinsdebellet.com/english/html/un_peu_d_histoire.htm , archivedate=2007-10-19 Red wine grape varieties