Dolcetto
Piedmont's soft, fruity, low-tannin everyday red — easy-drinking, almost gulpable.
About the grape
Dolcetto (the name means 'little sweet') is a Piedmontese red often misleadingly pegged as Italy's Beaujolais, though the two taste quite different: dolcetto has a firm, spicy fruitiness set off against a subtle bitter-chocolate background. It has relatively little acid, not much tannin, and is lighter in body than barbera, making it so easy to drink it becomes almost gulpable — a favourite every-night wine in Piedmont. Most is simple, easy-drinking stuff, though a few producers make serious versions with real grip and depth. The leading wines come from around Alba (dolcetto d'Alba) and Dogliani (dolcetto di Dogliani).
