Periquita (pear-ih-KEY-ta)

The name means parakeet; a synonym for a hearty grape called castelão that is the most widely planted grape in Portugal. Particularly successful in the south of the country but grown as far north as the Douro. A natural cross of the Portuguese grapes cayetana blanca and alfrocheiro. Periquita is also the brand name of a popular Portuguese red table wine that is a blend of the grape periquita with touriga nacional and touriga franca.

Sparkling brachetto can be made in any region of northern Italy from brachetto grapes.

Answer: False.

Sparkling brachetto is made from the brachetto grapes but only in the northwestern Italian region of Acqui in Piedmont—hence it's full name, brachetto d'Acqui. This wine is frizzante ("lightly sparkling"), low in alcohol, fresh, and loaded with sweet raspberry and black cherry flavors. Of course, legend has it that both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony presented gourds of sparkling brachetto to Cleopatra, as the wine was thought to be an aphrodisiac (part of this story is hard to fact-check). Regardless, this ruby-red sparkler, with its intense floral and fruity notes, is fun to drink, and in the fall, it's great with charcuterie.

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