With Barbera, Dolcetto is one of the two "everyday" wines of the Piedmont region in Italy. While the most favorable growing sites here are reserved for Barolo and Barbaresco, winemakers plant Dolcetto widely where the temperamental Nebbiolo grape doesn't thrive. As Dolcetto is not made to age, but rather intended for more immediate consumption, these plantings allow the same winemakers who produce Barolo and Barbaresco to earn immediate revenue while their Nebbiolo wines mature.

Translating into English as "little sweet one", Dolcetto makes brightly colored wines, reddish-purple in hue, with aromas of blackberries and plums. We find these wines from piedmont to be a great source of immediate gratification. On release, they have a soft fruity taste, with tannins. When it comes to wine storage, there's little reason to hold onto Dolcetto for much longer than a year, after which its youthful fruit character starts to fade.

Dolcetto Food Pairings

Dolcetto is especially versatile when it comes to food pairing. We find that a bit of wine tasting can be a lifesaver in certain restaurant situations when folks are ordering all over the place. There's some acidity, and some tannins, but not too much of either of these qualities to eliminate certain food options. Thus, it won't overwhelm more delicate seafood dishes, but will remain right at home with tomato-based pastas or meat dishes.

The grape variety is not without challenges in the winery. One downside to Dolcetto is its tendency toward reduction. The more concentrated the Dolcetto, the more oxygen is needed during the vinification. Many wine producers in Piedmont are now using micro-oxygenation to guard against reduction.

Production of Dolcetto

These top producers can be found both in the Piedmontese towns of Alba and Dogliani. Some, but not all of them are also known for their Barolo and Barbaresco production. Look for wines from Luciano Sandrone, Luigi Einaudi, and Conterno Fantino.

The Origin of Dolcetto

Dolcetto can be found outside of Italy in wine regions such as Santa Barbara, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley. Notably, Dolcetto is quite popular in Dolcetto di Diano d 'Alba in Northern Italy.

There are several variations and wines associated with Dolcetto such as Massolino Dolcetto d'alba, the second most highly rated Dolcetto d'Alba. There is also Dolcetto di Dogliani Superiore, a red wine made exclusively from Dolcetto grapes grown in vineyards around Dogliani. Other wines include Siri d'Jermu, Poderi Luigi Enaudi and San Luigi Dolcetto di Diano.