Dolcetto wine guide
Dolcetto is a pleasant, fruity wine, with an immediate impact and great drinkability, which can be brought to the table every day without fear of betraying expectations or not knowing how to accompany the most varied dishes.
But you don’t have to ask too much of the Dolcetto, it is a ready-to-drink wine, characterized by great sincerity: this does not mean that it cannot age and mature, on the contrary, the superior Dolcetto di Ovada shows us that refining in large barrels develops a certain charm, tannins, after all, are not lacking in this wine. However, it is not a wine that points to the finesse and thickness of Nebbiolo and does not have the right acidity to evolve.
We do not say this to denigrate Dolcetto and the comparison with Nebbiolo is only to say that they are different, with opposite characteristics. We say this only because many are starting to propose refined or structured Dolcetti as if they were the New Grail, but they are only pseudo-marketing-sales operations to rejuvenate what is actually a wine that is already doing well.
Organoleptic characteristics of Dolcetto wine
Never was a name more convict, in fact, this Piedmontese wine is certainly fruity, but dry and sweet we do not find even a hint of it. If, on the other hand, you taste a ripe grape, the situation changes, because it is one of the most sugary and juicy there is, so one of the possible explanations for the name is precisely the sweetness of the grape.
The color is dark ruby red, purple. The very frank, vinous bouquet: cherries, blackberries, even ripe and in the jam, flowers, faint earthy hints, licorice and then almond, unequivocal and peremptory to finish.
On the palate, it is warm, explosive, sunny, not quite round, sometimes grumpy, with full tannins, little acidity, but it is the fruit that strikes for its inviting immediacy. As mentioned, in some cases it reaches a more complete maturation, strengthens and smooths the corners, but does not develop a too complex tertiary sector.
History of Dolcetto
Dolcetto has been known since the 1600s, the century in which it appears for the first time in Monferrato, although some theories claim it originated in Liguria. In any case, it is the basis of the economy of the Piedmontese wineries: when Barolo was still a Cinderella waiting for the fairy, it was Dolcetto and Barbera that fed and paid the bills. For the simple reason that Dolcetto is a robust vine, which matures early and has no particular problems in adapting to the most varied climates and soils. He fights and does not give up, tiger eyes always.
Classification and production areas of Dolcetto
Asti, Cuneo, Alessandria, Ovada and obviously in the Western Ligurian Riviera, where Piedmont and Liguria meet, but in this case, we are talking about a clone, known as Ormeasco, similar, but not identical. In any case, if it is true that Dolcetto is often the entry-level wine of many wineries, we have some cases in which it finds ideal conditions, among which we remember the Dogliani produced in ten municipalities of Cuneo, the Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba, limited DOC only in the municipality of the same name, where it finds lodging in the famous 77 sorì, that is on the slopes with the best exposure. And then we end up with a DOCG, the Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore, more structured and therefore aged longer in wood, produced in 22 municipalities of Alessandria. If on the label there is the mention “Vigna” it means that it is a wine from vines of at least seven years.
Dolcetto food pairings
It is a wine capable of accompanying any grilled meat, a thousand dishes as appetizers, first courses, from the classic baked lasagna to noodles with truffles. Don’t miss a beat, but don’t combine it with fish.