Rossese di Dolceacqua wine guide

Rossese di Dolceacqua is the most important and characteristic red grape variety in Liguria. Indeed it is much more: it is a champion capable of giving splendid wines, typical, salty as the sea, nervous and full of nuances, but always elegant, with good pace, fabric, and measure.

Rossese di Dolceacqua is a noble, subtle wine, there are no explosive tannins or muscles sculpted by an impetuous use of barriques. He’s not some steroid-pumped, coconut oil-sprinkled bodybuilder who lifts 200 pounds of bench press. Quite the opposite: it is a Muhammad Ali who hops like a butterfly and stings like a hornet thanks to punches of sapidity and balsamic flavors.

Rossese di Dolceacqua is like Liguria itself: beautiful, but reluctant, it should be discovered by walking, savoring it slowly, with the sun burning your skin and the sea salt on your lips.

The bouquet of the Rossese di Dolceacqua

The nose is fruity with ripe strawberries and berries, never cooked, the tone is austere, with brash hints of rose bordering on the aromatic, but the tone is relaxed, but always straight and pungent. There are not very green-herbaceous notes, but the real surprise is the more balsamic tones of Mediterranean scrub, olives, and thyme. The earthy and rooted scents are there and do their duty. The spicy tones are not exaggerated and if they are accentuated they are certainly due to the aging in wood. Final with iodized references: in practice, it manages to combine sea and forest.

The taste of Rossese di Dolceacqua

On the palate it is velvety, fine, not very hot, but with sobriety that keeps it straight and firm. It flows driven by an exceptional savory vein, however, the low acidity involves drastic choices, so much so that it is often harvested very early. The tannins are velvety, very delicate, the structure is never too overbearing, but it is certainly not a lean or bland wine. Password: “finesse-without-end”.

History of the Rossese di Dolceacqua grape

The most mythical and ancient legend has it that the first Greek colonists who came from Thessaly brought this vine as a dowry, but there is no evidence or testimony. Although many trace the typical sapling cultivation of the Rossese vineyards to Greek influence. But as we all know, Liguria was a unique crossroads of peoples and trades and therefore it is not so much who brought it, but how they enhanced it between this strip of land between sea and mountains. What is certain is that, as evidence of its goodness, the Rossese di Dolceacqua was chosen as the official wine for the ration of the sailors of the Maritime Republic of Genoa by Andrea Doria. Other than the rum!

Production area of ​​the Rossese di Dolceacqua

Just think that Rossese di Dolceacqua was the first Ligurian DOC, granted in 1972. It tends to be produced in purity, to be regulated with a maximum of 5% of red grape varieties typical of the area. The area that we remember covers 14 municipalities belonging to the Val Nervia, with the epicenter of production in the homonymous, beautiful village of Dolceacqua.

Rossese Food Pairings

Thanks to the good softness and the gentleness of the tannins, Rossese is a candidate as one of the best red wines to combine with fish, risotto, tuna tataki, but it is also excellent with cured meats, paella, with tuna tataki, chicken curry, pulled pork , empanadas, burgers.