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Dolcetto

 
Wine Lover's Companion: Dolcetto
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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.

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Dolcetto
Dolcetto
A glass of Dolcetto
Color of berry skin: Noir
Species: Vitis vinifera
Also called: Dolsin, Ormeasco (more)
Origin: Italy
Notable regions: Piedmont
Notable wines: Dolcetto di Dogliani, Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba
Search Wiktionary Look up dolcetto in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
"Plant Du Roi" redirects here. For another grape known as Plant Du Roi, see Malbec.

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]

Contents

History

One theory suggests that the grape 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]

Regions

Most Dolcetto is found in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy, where many of the top estates produce Dolcetto on less favoured sites as an "early to market wine" to generate some income for the winery while the Nebbiolo and Barbera are being matured.[5] It is particularly associated with the towns of Dogliani and Diano d'Alba in the province of Cuneo, although the greatest volumes come from around Alba and Ovada. The grape is also found in Liguria under the name Ormeasco.[1]

All but one of the 100% Dolcetto DOCs have two levels, the "standard" version typically requiring a minimum 11.5% ABV, the Superiore 12.5%.[6] They are Dolcetto di Dogliani (DOCG since 2005), Dolcetto d'Acqui, Dolcetto d'Alba, Dolcetto d'Asti, Dolcetto delle Langhe Monregalesi, Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba, Dolcetto d'Ovada and Langhe Dolcetto (no Superiore).[6] Riviera Ligure di Ponente Ormeasco requires >95% Dolcetto/Ormeasco; Colli Tortonesi Dolcetto, Monferrato Dolcetto and Pineronese Dolcetto a minimum of 85%, and Valsusa a minimum of 60%.[6] Golfo Del Tigullio requires 20-70%, while Lago di Corbara and Rosso Orvietano can contain up to 20% Dolcetto.[6]

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]

The grape was first brought to California by expatriate Italians and is most popular in Mendocino County, Russian River Valley AVA, Napa Valley AVA, Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, Sta. Rita Hills AVA, and Santa Barbara County. There is also some plantings in the Oregon AVAs of Umpqua Valley AVA and Southern Oregon AVA as well as the state wide appellations of New Mexico and Pennsylvania.[7]

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

Wines

Dolcetto wines are known for black cherry and licorice flavors with some prunes and a characteristically bitter finish reminiscent of almonds. While the name implies sweetness, the wines are normally 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.[8] 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.[9]

Synonyms

Acqui, Barbirono, Bathiolin, Batialin, Beina, Bignola, Bignona, Bignonia, Bignonina, Bourdon Noir, Cassolo, Charbonneau, Charbono, Chasselas Noir, Cote Rouge Merille, Crete de Coq, Debili Rifosk, Dolcedo Rotstieliger, Dolceto, Dolcetta Nera, Dolcetto A Raspe Verde, Dolcetto A Raspo Rosso, Dolcetto Nero, Dolcetto Piemontese, Dolchetto, Dolcino Nero, Dolciut, Dolsin, Dolsin Raro, Dolzin, Dolzino, Dosset, Gros Noir de Montelimar, Gros Plant, Maennlicher Refosco, Mauvais Noir, Montelimar, Monteuse, Montmelian, Mosciolino, Nera Dolce, Nibio, Noirin D'Espagne, Nord Du Lot Et Garonne, Ocanette, Orincasca, Ormeasca, Ormeasco (Liguria), Picot Rouge, Plant de Calarin, Plant de Chapareillan, Plant de Moirans, Plant de Montmelian, Plant de Provence, Plant de Savoie, Plant de Turin, Plant du Roi, Premasto, Primaticcio, Primativo, Primitivo Nero, Promotico, Provencal, Ravanellino, Refork, Refork Debeli, Refork Male, Refosk Debeli, Rotstieliger Dolcedo, Savoyard, Turin, Turino, Uva d'Acqui, Uva d'Acquia, Uva del Monferrato, Uva di Ovada, Uva di Roccagrimalda,[10] and Dolsin Nero.[2]

See also

Notes and 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 J. Robinson "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 233 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906
  6. ^ a b c d "Banca Dati Vini DOC, DOCG". http://www.politicheagricole.it/SettoriAgroalimentari/Vitivinicolo/Vino/vinidocdocgelencovitigno.htm?codvitigno=73&vitigno=dolcetto. Retrieved on 2007-12-17. 
  7. ^ Appellation America Dolcetto Details
  8. ^ O. Clarke Encyclopedia of Grapes pg 87 Harcourt Books 2001 ISBN 0151007144
  9. ^ Per-Henrik Mansson "Light Makes Right" Wine Spectator October 31, 1995
  10. ^ Maul, Erika; Töpfer, Reinhard; Eibach, Rudolf (2007). "Vitis International Variety Catalogue". Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof (IRZ), Siebeldingen, Germany. http://www.vivc.bafz.de. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. 


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Alba (wine-related term)
Dolcetto d'Alba DOC (wine-related term)
Asti (wine-related term)

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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
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