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Dolcetto grape

Red grape

Dolcetto is a red grape known for plum, blackberry, almond. Its best-known homes are Piedmont.

Origin and history

Piedmontese grape whose name means 'little sweet one', likely referring to its sweet-tasting berries, although the wines are dry; grown around Dogliani and Alba for centuries.

Where it grows

Piedmont (Dogliani DOCG, Diano d'Alba, Dolcetto d'Alba, Ovada, Acqui) and Liguria, with small plantings in Australia and California.

Structure

Medium body, deep purple colour, firm but soft-edged tannins and relatively low acidity for a northern Italian red.

Aromas, young and aged

Young: black plum, blackberry, violet, liquorice and a characteristic bitter almond finish. Rarely aged long, but becomes earthier with a few years.

Ageing

Best drunk within 1–4 years; the most structured Dogliani can keep 6–8 years.

Also known as

Ormeasco (Liguria).

Good to know

It ripens up to four weeks before Nebbiolo, so Piedmont growers traditionally planted it on cooler slopes where Nebbiolo would not ripen.

Dolcetto wines to try

Real bottles from The Wine Library.

Similar red grapes

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