Dolcetto d’Alba

October 11, 2010

I have a young friend who’s extremely adept in craftwork. Pottery is her forte, but almost anything she makes, be it jewelry, sculpture, or cloth work, demonstrates her artisan’s hand and is strikingly unique. Recently she chose to give me a friendship bracelet. You’ve probably seen one before: six strands of variously colored embroidery thread tightly knotted to form an attractive pattern. I am quite touched by this little gift, whose charm lies in its simplicity and whose value in its intimation of the maker’s affection for me.

As I sat down to write about Dolcetto d’Alba, I thought of this bracelet, because many producers of this wine from Italy’s Piedmont district are adept at making some of the most complex and prized wines, such as Barolo and Barbaresco. But when they share a glass of wine with friends, it’s their simple Dolcetto that they are most likely to serve. Perhaps, like my friend, they feel that simple gifts best convey deep emotions.

Although the name “Dolcetto” (a diminutive of the Italian dolce meaning “sweet”) might lead you to believe it to be a sweet wine, it is in fact quite dry. The name might be more attributable to the Dolcetto grape’s low acidity. This early ripening grape is widely grown in the Piedmont. Although there are a number of distinct appellations, (Dolcetto d’Acqui, Dolcetto d’Asti, Dolcetto di Diana d’Alba, etc.), Dolcetto d’Alba is perhaps the most popular and widely available. It’s this Dolcetto that’s the focus of our feature.

There seem to be at least two styles of Dolcetto d’Alba. The first might be characterized as ebullient and charming, with a sweet floral nose and rich fruit on the palate tempered by mild tannins and followed with a hint of almonds on the finish. The second is more austere and reserved, with drier flavors, and possibly more spice and a distinctive bitter almond finish. Neither style, however, has the complexity that other wines from this region might have, but both have their charms. They are also generally high in alcohol (approximately 12.5%) but quite easy to drink.

When shopping for Dolcetto, look for youth not age: one or two years after vintage is best. Although exceptions might be made for great vintages, I’d be wary of wines older than three years. Among the best producers are Ceretto, Aldo Conterno, Angelo Gaja, Bruno Giacossa, Prunotto, Giuseppe Ratto, and Vietti.

Because these wines are not very complex and relatively low in acidity, I’d recommend serving them with simple pasta dishes, poultry, and light meats. For our tasting, we chose penne served with a simple tomato sauce enriched with chunks of chevre. These wines would also be great with a cheese board after dinner or maybe simply with a hunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano on an autumn afternoon. So why not set some cheese out, break open a bottle, and ask a friend over to share a glass or two.

For our tasting, we chose ten wines. We tasted each individually unaccompanied by food and then chose several to sample with our pasta.

Source: http://www.tablewine.com/archiv21.htm

Clark Wine Center was built in 2003 by Hong Kong-based Yats International Leisure Philippines to become the largest wine shop in Philippines supplying Asia’s wine lovers with fine vintage wines at attractive prices.  Today, this wine shop in Clark Philippines offers over 2000 selections of fine wines from all major wine regions in the world.  As a leading wine supplier in Philippines, Pampanga’s Clark Wine Center offers an incomparable breadth of vintages, wines from back vintages spanning over 50 years.  Clark Wine Center is located in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone adjacent to Angeles City, just 25 minutes from Subic and 45 minutes from Manila.

Wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Alsace, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, Chile and Argentina etc. are well represented in this Clark Wine Shop.

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Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila

Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple:  after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave.  From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City.  From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

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Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building

Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,

Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023

0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

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Manila Sales Office

3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,

Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605

(632) 637-5019   0917-520-4393  ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.