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[dohl-CHEHT-oh; dohl-CHEHT-uh] Red-wine grape, whose name translates to "little sweet one," that is grown mainly in the southwest section of Italy's piedmont region. There are several theories for Dolcetto's name. One suggests that it's because of the sweetness of the grapes and the juice they produce. Another says it's because there's a perception of sweetness in Dolcetto wines, even though they're usually vinified as dry wines without residual sugar. Dolcetto wines have high acidity and are usually deep purple in color. They have perfumy bouquets and rich, fruity, ripe-berry flavors, sometimes with a slightly bitter aftertaste. They should be drunk young before the fruit starts to fade. There are seven docs for Dolcetto, all in the Piedmont region. They are Dolcetto d'Aqui, Dolcetto d'Asti, Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba, Dolcetto delle Langhe Monregalesi, Dolcetto di Dogliani, Dolcetto di Ovada, and, probably the best known, dolcetto d'alba. This variety's also grown in the Piedmont's neighboring region liguria, where it's known as Ormeasco. Other names for Dolcetto include Dolsin and Dolsin Nero.

 
 
Wikipedia: Dolcetto

Dolcetto is a black wine grape variety widely grown in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. The name means "little sweet one," though it is nearly always a dry wine. Dolcetto wines can be tannic and fruit driven with moderate levels of acidity. They are typically meant to be consumed one to two years after release.[1]

History

The grape is believed to have originated in France and traveled down to the Monferrato some time in the eleventh century.[2] A competing theory has the grape originating in the small Piedmontese village of Dogliani.[3] In 1593 there is record of a harvest of Dozzetti grapes in Dogliani. In 1700 the wine was exported to Great Britain and given as a gift to King George II.[4]

Regional production

The best known varietal wines made from it are both from the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy: Dolcetto d'Alba is made in the Langhe near Alba (province of Cuneo); and Dolcetto d'Asti is made in the southeast part of the province of Asti. The majority of Dolcetto is grown in the Alba zone with the Ovada comune close behind. While most popular in the Piedmont, the grape is also found in Liguria under the name Ormeasco.[1] Other notable synonyms include Dolsin and Dolsin Nero.[2]

Outside of Italy Dolcetto is known as Douce Noire in Savoie and Charbono in California.[1] However, DNA fingerprinting done at the University of California, Davis have shown that the actual Douce Noire and Charbono vines are not, in fact, Dolcetto but two different vines.[5] In spite of this confirmation, some plantings of true Dolcetto vines still retain the local synonyms in some areas of Savoie and California.[1]

In Piedmont, many of the top Nebbiolo and Barbera estates will also produce Dolcetto as an "early to market wine" that generates some income for the winery while the estate continues to age the other two wines.[5]

Australia is home to the oldest current plantings of Dolcetto with vines dating back to the 1860s.[1]

The grape was first brought to California by expatriate Italians and is most popular in the Mendocino American Viticultural Area (AVA), Russian River Valley, Napa Valley, Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Rita Hills, and Santa Barbara County. There is also some plantings in the Oregon AVAs of Umpqua Valley and Southern Oregon as well as the state wide appellations of New Mexico and Pennsylvania.[6]

Wines

Dolcetto wines are known for black cherry and licorice flavors with some prunes. While relatively high in residual sugars the wines are normally always dry. The tannic nature of the grape contributes to a characteristic bitter finish.[1] The dark purple skin of Dolcetto grapes have high amounts of anthocyanins in them which require only a short maceration time with the skin to produce a dark colored wine. The amount of skin contact affects the resulting tannin levels in the wine with most winemakers preferring to limit maceration time to as short as possible.[7] During fermentation the wine is prone to the wine fault of reduction.[5]

Food pairing

Overall, Dolcetto is considered a light easy drinking red wine that pairs well with pastas and pizza dishes.[8]

External links

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f O. Clarke Encyclopedia of Grapes pg 86 Harcourt Books 2001 ISBN 0151007144
  2. ^ a b J. Robinson Vines, Grapes & Wines pg 209 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 1986 ISBN 1857329996
  3. ^ K. MacNeil The Wine Bible pg 332 Workman Publishing 2001 ISBN 1563054345
  4. ^ Dolcetto History Albeisa.org
  5. ^ a b c
  6. ^ Appellation America Dolcetto Details
  7. ^ O. Clarke Encyclopedia of Grapes pg 87 Harcourt Books 2001 ISBN 0151007144
  8. ^ Per-Henrik Mansson "Light Makes Right" Wine Spectator October 31, 1995



 
 

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Wine Lover's Companion. Wine Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2003 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Dolcetto" Read more

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