WINE OF THE WEEK: Massolino Dolcetto d’Alba 2023, Piedmont, Italy

£18–£23.40, The Wine Society and independents

There were so many high points in the recent Wine Society press tasting it’s hard to choose just one wine. I finally settled on this Dolcetto d’Alba because, first of all, it’s a cracking example of a potentially – and in this case definitely – food-friendly style and, secondly, because there aren’t as many textbook Dolcettos (or Dolcetti) as you might think, or at least hope for.

Part of the problem could be that producers haven’t always put as much effort into their Dolcetto wines as their grander Barolo and Barbaresco. Either way, Dolcetto often doesn’t quite live up to its rather pretty name of ‘little sweet’.

The name, though, is a bit of a misnomer. It refers to the grape variety’s naturally low acidity, not to sweetness. Practically all Dolcetto is dry; certainly all the DOCG wines, of which Dolcetto d’Alba is the foremost.

And they’re not all low in acid. One of the joys of the Massolino family’s unoaked 2023 Dolcetto is its uplifting brightness on the palate. Among its other charms, beyond its glistening, light ruby-red colour, medium body and delicate tannins, are its mouthwatering tangy-cherry fruit and softly peppery savoury note, all highlighted by the absence of oak.

It’s an ideal wine for a spread of antipasti of all kinds, including cured, air-dried and cold roast meats – prosciutto, salami, bresaola, carpaccio, porchetta. It’s also good with tomatoey and meaty pasta, aubergine parmigiana, osso buco and other veal dishes, herby and spicy sausages and fish such as halibut, cod and monkfish cooked with red wine, 14%.

Massolino Dolcetto d’Alba 2023, Piedmont, Italy

£18–£23.40, The Wine Society, It's Wine Time Ltd, Vinvm, 92 Or More, NY Wines, Parched Wine

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