Dolcetto d'Alba is the everyday red of the Langhe. It comes from the hills around Alba, in the province of Cuneo, with a small strip in the province of Asti: the area includes the whole of municipalities such as Alba, Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Monforte d'Alba, Serralunga d'Alba, Treiso and Grinzane Cavour, and parts of Barbaresco, Neive, La Morra and Verduno. These are the same villages as Barolo and Barbaresco: here Dolcetto often occupies the cooler exposures, leaving the best ones to Nebbiolo.
Figures and rules
The DOC was recognised in 1974. Vineyards cover about 677 hectares, with an output of 39,000 hectolitres. The regulations require 100% Dolcetto, in Rosso and Superiore versions. Minimum alcohol is 11.5%. The Superiore ages for at least one year and cannot be released before 1 November of the year after the harvest.
One name, two theories
The name Dolcetto may come from the sweetness of the ripe grape, good to eat as well; another theory derives it from the Piedmontese word "dosset", a not very high hill. The wine, however, is not sweet: it is dry and soft, with low acidity and present but gentle tannins.
In the glass it is ruby red with purple glints, with aromas of cherry, blackberry, plum and a characteristic note of bitter almond on the finish. It is drunk young, within two or three years of the harvest, when the fruit is at its peak.
The farmers' wine
For centuries Dolcetto was a mainstay of Piedmontese farm life and one of the main goods traded with Liguria, from which oil, salt and anchovies were imported: the key ingredient of bagna caöda. Reliable records of the grape, however, appear only from the eighteenth century. At the table it is a wine for the whole meal: Piedmontese starters, vitello tonnato, tajarin, risottos, white meats and fresh cheeses. For a more structured version of the same grape there is nearby Dogliani.
