Question: Grignolino, is a red Italian wine grape variety, commonly grown in the Piedmont region, Grignolino has two "Denominazione di origine controllata" (DOCs) that produce wine from it, Monferrato Casale and Asti, also known as Asti Spumante, is a sparkling white Italian wine that is produced throughout southeastern Piedmont but is particularly focused, around which two towns?

Context articles: Cortese
Montepulciano (grape)
Grignolino
Brachetto d'Acqui
Greco (grape)
Uva Rara
Asti wine
Ruché
Freisa
Brachetto

Cortese is a white Italian wine grape variety predominantly grown in the southeastern regions of Piedmont in the provinces of Alessandria and Asti.
 It is the primary grape of the "Denominazione di origine controllata" (DOC) wines of Cortese dell'Alto Monferrato and Colli Tortonesi as well as the "Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita" (DOCG) wine of Cortese di Gavi.
 Significant plantings of Cortese can also be found in the Lombardy region of Oltrepò Pavese and in the DOC white blends of the Veneto wine region of Bianco di Custoza.
 Cortese has a long history in Italian viticulture with written documentation naming the grape among the plantings in a Piedmontese vineyard as early as 1659.
 The grape's moderate acidity and light flavors has made it a favorite for the restaurants in nearby Genoa as a wine pairing with the local seafood caught off the Ligurian coast.
Montepulciano ] is a red Italian wine grape variety that is most noted for being the primary grape behind the "Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita" (DOCG) wine Offida Rosso, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane (as well its larger DOC outside of Colline Teramane), Rosso Conero and the "Denominazione di origine controllata" (DOC) wines Rosso Piceno Superiore.
Grignolino (] ) is a red Italian wine grape variety commonly grown in the Piedmont region.
 It makes light colored wines and rosés with very fruity aromas, strong acidity and tannins.
 The name Grignolino derives from the word "grignole" which means "many pips" in the local Piedmontese dialect of the Asti region.
 The abundance of pips, or seeds, contribute to the strong, bitter tannins associated with the wine.
 Modern winemaker try to avoid the excess tannins with gentle and slow pressings.
 Grignolino has two "Denominazione di origine controllata" (DOCs) that produce wine from it - Asti and Monferrato Casale.
Brachetto d'Acqui ] 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 is produced in the Piedmont wine region around Acqui Terme in the province of Alessandria with some overlap into the province of Asti.
 The wine is produced from the Brachetto grape, a variety that is believed to be native to Piedmont, and can be still or sparkling with usually some sweetness.
Greco is an Italian wine grape that may be of Greek origin.
 The name relates to both white "(Greco bianco)" and black "(Greco nero)" wine grape varieties.
 While there is more land area dedicated to "Greco nero", the "Greco bianco" is the grape most commonly referred to by "Greco".
 In the Campania region it is used to produce the "Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita" (DOCG) wine "Greco di Tufo".
 In Calabria, it is used to make the "Denominazione di Origine Controllata" (DOC) wine "Greco di Bianco".
 The name "Greco" is sometimes used as a synonym for several varieties of supposed Greek origins-most notably Trebbiano.
Uva Rara is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Piedmont and Lombardy wine regions of northern Italy.
 The grape is a permitted blending variety along with Nebbiolo in the "Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita" (DOCG) wines of Ghemme.
 In the "Denominazione di Origine Controllata" (DOC) wine region of Oltrepò Pavese the grape is often blended with Barbera and Croatina.
 While Uva Rara's name means "rare grape" in Italian, the variety is actually widely planted with 608 hectares (1,502 acres) of the vine recorded in Italy in 2000.
Asti (also known as Asti Spumante) is a sparkling white Italian wine that is produced throughout southeastern Piedmont but is particularly focused around the towns of Asti and Alba.
 Since 1993 the wine has been classified as a "Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita" (DOCG) and as of 2004 was Italy's largest producing appellation.
 In fact, on an average vintage more than ten times as much Asti is produced in Piedmont than the more well-known Piedmontese red wine Barolo.
Ruché (pronounced in English , ] ) is a red Italian wine grape variety from the Piedmont region.
 It is largely used in making Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato, a small production red varietal wine which was granted "Denominazione di Origine Controllata" (DOC) status by presidential decree on October 22, 1987, and was granted the more prestigious "Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita" (DOCG) status in 2010.
 The current DOC recognized area of production for the wine, covers only about 100 acres (40 hectares) of vines around the villages of Castagnole Monferrato, Refrancore, Grana, Montemagno, Viarigi, Scurzolengo and Portacomaro.
 Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato is, therefore, one of the lowest production varietal wines in Italy.
 The grape is also grown to some extent in the neighboring province of Alessandria.
Freisa is a red Italian wine grape variety grown in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy, primarily in Monferrato and in the Langhe, but also further north in the provinces of Turin and Biella.
 Freisa is a vigorous and productive vine whose round, blue-black grapes are harvested in early October.
 The three-lobed leaves are relatively small and the bunches are elongated in form.
 By the 1880s it had become one of the major Piedmontese grapes, and in that period its cultivation was stimulated by the vine’s resistance to the downy mildew caused by the Plasmopara viticola fungus.
 Wines made from the Freisa grape are red and usually somewhat sweet and lightly sparkling, or foaming.
 Still and fully sparkling versions are also produced, however, as are dry and more decidedly sweet styles.
 In the Canavese there is also a rosé which can be made primarily from Freisa according to "Denominazione di origine controllata" (DOC) regulations.
Brachetto is a red Italian wine grape variety grown predominantly in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy.
 At one time the grape was thought to be related to the French wine grape Braquet, but recent thought among ampelographers is that the two are distinct varieties.
 In Italy’s region of Piedmont the grape is somewhat more widespread: production mostly falling within an area of the provinces of Asti and Alessandria between the rivers Bormida and Belbo plus various parts of the province of Cuneo.
 At Canelli, on the border between the hills of Asti and the Langhe proper, the grape is known as Borgogna.
 The most notable wine here is the red Brachetto d'Acqui "Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita" (DOCG) which is made in both still and "spumante" (fully sparkling) versions.
 The Piemonte Brachetto "Denominazione di Origine Controllata" (DOC), also a red wine, is made with a minimum of 85% Brachetto; it is usually still, but may be "frizzante" (lightly sparkling).
 The grape is also used for up to 10% of the blend for the Ruché-based Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato DOC.