Dolcetto ( , , ) is a black Italian wine grape variety widely grown in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. The Italian word dolcetto means "little sweet one", but it is not certain that the name originally carried any reference to the grape’s sugar levels: it is possible that it derives from the name of the hills where the vine is cultivated.
History
One theory suggests the grape originated in France and was brought to Monferrato sometime in the 11th century. A competing theory has the grape originating in the Piedmontese village of Dogliani. In 1593, an ordinance of the municipality of Dogliani which forbade the harvesting of grapes earlier than Saint Matthew's Day, unless an exceptional authorization had been granted, has been taken to refer to this variety, which is still known in local dialects under the names and . A document of 1633 records the presence of Dolcetto in the cellars of the Arboreo family of Valenza. In 1700, Barnabà Centurione sent the wine as a gift to Queen Anne of Great Britain.
Along with the French grape Chatus, Dolcetto is a parent variety to several Piedmontese grapes including Valentino nero, Passus and San Martino.
Regions
left|thumb|Dolcetto vine leaf
thumb|right|Pio Cesare Dolcetto d'Alba 1982
Most Dolcetto is found in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy, where many of the top estates produce Dolcetto on less-favoured sites as an "early to market wine" to generate some income for the winery while the Nebbiolo and Barbera are being matured. It is particularly associated with the towns of Dogliani and Diano d'Alba in the province of Cuneo, although the greatest volumes come from around Alba and Ovada. The grape is also found in Liguria under the name Ormeasco, and in the Oltrepò Pavese where it is called Nebbiolo or Nibièu. They are Dolcetto di Dogliani (DOCG since 2005), Dolcetto d'Acqui, Dolcetto d'Alba, Dolcetto d'Asti, Dolcetto delle Langhe Monregalesi (integrated to Dogliani DOCG in 2011), Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba and Dolcetto d'Ovada. Only Langhe Dolcetto has no Superiore variety. Dolcetto is also being produced in the Texas Hill Country with great results as well.
Australia is home to the oldest current plantings of Dolcetto, with vines dating back to the 1860s.
Wines
right|thumb|A Dolcetto d'Alba from Piedmont
Dolcetto wines are known for black cherry and liquorice with some prune flavours, and a characteristically bitter finish reminiscent of almonds. While the name implies sweetness, the wines are normally dry. The tannic nature of the grape contributes to a characteristic bitter finish. During fermentation, the wine is prone to the wine fault of reduction.
Synonyms and homonyms
Acqui, Barbirono, Bathiolin, Batialin, Beina, Bignola, Bignona, Bignonia, Bignonina, Bourdon Noir, Cassolo, Charbonneau, Charbono, Chasselas Noir, Cote Rouge Merille, Crete de Coq, Debili Rifosk, Dolcedo Rotstieliger, Dolceto, Dolcetta Nera, Dolcetto A Raspe Verde, Dolcetto A Raspo Rosso, Dolcetto Nero, Dolcetto Piemontese, Dolchetto, Dolcino Nero, Dolciut, Dolsin, Dolsin Raro, Dolzin, Dolzino, Dosset, Gros Noir de Montelimar, Gros Plant, Maennlicher Refosco, Mauvais Noir, Montelimar, Monteuse, Montmelian, Mosciolino, Nebbiolo (dialect Nibièu, in the Tortonese and the hills of the Oltrepò Pavese) Nera Dolce, Nibio, Noirin D'Espagne, Nord Du Lot Et Garonne, Ocanette, Orincasca, Ormeasca (at Ormea and Pieve di Teco and Dolsin Nero.