Type of Wine: Light-bodied red with low acidity and low tannins.

Origin: Dolcetto roughly translates from Italian as the "little sweet one." It is the principal grape grown in the Piedmont region of Italy and is considered the lunchtime or everyday wine of Northern Italy. The most famous rendition of the wine is Dolcetto D’Alba. Dolcetto is typically not blended with other varieties, but rather boasts multiple clones that are often inter-planted, thereby imparting complexity to the wine's aroma, flavor and structure.

Color: Dolcetto is a wine that is bright reddish-purple in color that tends to fade over time to ruby red.

Description: These thinned-skinned grapes deliver a fruit driven wine with aromas of ripe blackberries and red plums. A direct, Zinfandel-like fruitiness combined with Merlot-like soft tannins make Dolcetto charmingly seductive.

Aging: One of the few Italian red wines that are drinkable upon release. Dolcetto can develop further with a year or two of cellaring but it is best drunk immediately as is the case with Beaujolais Nouveau from Burgundy. While often compared to Beaujolais Nouveau, Dolcetto tends to have a fuller body with more complex taste.

Best Location: Hot, bright, sunny days with cool, damp nights. This combination allows the mornings to build acidity and intensify the fruitiness characteristic of the grape.

Planting: The grapes were planted with northern and eastern exposures. These aspects provide the benefit of a cool-down period from the intense summer heat. These cooler temperatures allow for the “grapes to rest” and not deplete the vines of their acids and flavor compounds through avoiding over-respiration.

Food Pairings: Dolcetto is the preferred mate to spaghetti with any red (tomato) sauce, grilled Portobello mushrooms and tomato and mozzarella salads. It goes well with foods that are naturally high in acidity.

See our general thoughts on food and wine pairings