red grape · regional staple
Dolcetto
Langhe, Piedmont, Italy
Say it
dohl·chet·toh
Double-T is geminate in Italian; American speakers typically reduce to a single /tʃ/ sound
On the palate
black cherryblack plumblackberrylicoricevioletalmond
How you spot it blind: Bitter almond finish on dark-fruited, deeply pigmented, low-acid red
The story
First written down · 1593, Dogliani, Piedmont
A 2020 peer-reviewed DNA study (Scientific Reports) identified Dolcetto's parents as two locally extinct Piedmontese cultivars, Moissan and Dolcetto Bianco.
Where it lives
Dogliani DOCG · Dolcetto d'Alba DOC · Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba DOCG · Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore DOCG · Dolcetto d'Acqui DOC · Ormeasco di Pornassio DOC (Liguria)
Shows up as
still redsparkling