Discovering Italian red wines: Rossese di Dolceacqua from Liguria

Do you know an italian red wine named Rossese di Dolceacqua, from Liguria?
This is an historical red italian wine renowned even from the Renaissance.
The first Sommelier of all the times, Sante Lancerio, made this wine famous. He was the personal sommelier of the Pope Paul III Farnese (1534-1549).
This professional wine expert wrote about the Rossese in his famous book, one of the first wine book guides of modern times.

Let’s go to Liguria region.

Firstly, Liguria is a picturesque, maritime region. Liguria is in Northern-west Italy, at the board with France. In this region, the soil is very unique but hard to manage.
The grapes which give life to the Rossese wine come from the extreme west of Liguria. A few steps from the French border.
The Rossese di Dolceacqua is a marine red wine, labelled as DOC. A typical and historycal wine from Liguria.
A niche production because related to the small enclave of Dolceacqua, on terraced vineyards overlooking the sea.
This is what we call an “heroic cultivation”. Which requires a great deal of manual work in the vineyard. The cultivation is sapling to protect the grapes from the strong sun.

A challenging variety.

This autochthonous red grape owes its name to the color of the grape, a bright red. To clarify, it is a very difficult variety to grow, due to its late ripening.
Indeed, harvest time comes at the end of October which always makes it a bet against time. In other words, each vintage varies greatly from season to season.
There are renowned producers, such as Drigenberg or Perrino, who produce exceptional Superiore di Rossese versions. Very recommended to try.
However, today I am tasting a Rossese by the Foresti winery. This is one of the families of winemakers who strenuously perpetuate the cultivation of this historic and difficult vine.
Great quality-money ratio, which is not bad in this period.
A modern winery, which produces a range of wines from the area and its traditional grape varieties.

How this wine tastes like?

The grapes give a ruby ​​red wine, with a brilliant timbre, scented with rose and violet. So, with its dry and pleasantly almondy flavor, it is a perfect choice when young.
Moreover, it improves with the aging especially in the first three years.
This Rossese is a light ruby ​​colored wine, which will turn towards an orange color with aging.
A vibrant wine, scents of rose and violet, aromas from the sea. Wild berries and Mediterranean flowers. The fruity taste is reminiscent of strawberry, currant, and cherry.
The balsamic notes of herbs, musky, slightly spiced with pepper. Dry flavor with a typical almond finish.
The softness of the wine balances the tannic boost, because creates a remarkable sensation of vivacity.
Soft, warm in the 2015 vintage, dry, with marked sapidity, slightly tannic with good freshness.
Nice and balanced, which induces to drink.

How to pair Rossese di Dolceacqua with food?

In conclusion, it is perfect in combination with appetizers, risotti, roasts, game meat.
Thanks to its slenderness, it can also be combined with fish dishes. Above all seafood dishes, fish soups and linguine with seafood.