Dolcetto

Dolcetto
Grape (Vitis)
Dolcetto grapes
Color of berry skin	Noir
Species	Vitis vinifera
Also called	Dolsin, Ormeasco (more)
Origin	Italy
Notable regions	Piedmont
Notable wines	Dolcetto di Dogliani, Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba

Dolcetto [dolˈtʃetto] 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. In any case the wines produced are nearly always dry. They can be tannic and fruity with moderate, or decidedly low, levels of acidity and are typically meant to be consumed within a few years after release.

One theory suggests the grape originated in France and was brought to Monferrato some time 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 dozzetti 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 duzet and duset. 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.

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