RedLead grape in 1
Rossese
The red of western Liguria, at its best at Dolceacqua in the hills behind Ventimiglia, almost on the French border. Pale to medium in colour, light in tannin, with strawberry, white pepper and a herbal, sea air lift. The vineyards are terraced and steep and most plots are tiny.
Worth knowing
Dolceacqua was one of the earliest DOCs in Italy, granted in 1972, for a wine made in quantities that would embarrass most appellations. Napoleon is supposed to have been fond of it, a story every producer tells and nobody has ever documented.
Where it is allowed2 appellations