Dolcetto dificulties....

[iroc326]

Salve Andrea,

Can you explain why Dolcetto is probably the trickiest grape for vinification in the Piemonte ? (I read this somewhere)

What is your impression on the big demand in Italy for indegineous grapes' wines from Sicily ?

Grazie, e un saluto del Canada !

[Andrea Sottimano]

Hi iroc,

Dolcetto is, indeed, a not-so-easy grape to vinificate; starting from its time of maturation( in cold vintages he suffer it and it doesn't have the chance, like Barbera and Nebbiolo to have eventually some more sun in September-October),

then choosing the right time to harvest( It doesn't have the same polifenolic structure of the others to support too much alcohol, and, moreover,at exception of determinated zones, it needs a balance between every components.So, not too late or too early, if you want a balanced wine.).

In vinification it needs a lot of oxygen(that's why someone use wood for it), so you have to "move it " a lot of times(.......and not so much, to don't go to "the other side" of the problem!.....), so that the wine won't not have bad perfumes.

(excuse me for my english...).

These are the principals problems, not to mentione colours sometimes not too stable, problems with its natural potential tannic.....

Next time you will drink a "simply" Dolcetto, think about it....

Best,

Andrea