Dolcetto: Sweet in name only

No wine is “more of a misnomer” than Dolcetto, which means “little sweet one” in Italian, said John Mariani in Bloomberg.com. “Dolcetto is sweet only in the colloquial sense of the ripeness of its grapes and softness of its tannins.” In fact, the Italian grape is simply low in acid with light hints of fruit—making for an easy-drinking, “very dry red wine.”

2007 Aldo Conterno Dolcetto Masante ($20)This complex wine features fruit, acids, and tannins working in “perfect harmony.”

2000 Pio Cesare’s Dolcetto d’Alba ($20)After nine years, this wine’s firm tannins have given rise to flavors that “blossomed when paired with a thick, rare rib-eye scented with a little rosemary.”

2008 Dolcetto d’Alba Cascina Crosa ($15)This boutique winery uses micro-oxygenation to enhance the fruit flavors in this “lovely, easy-to-drink” dolcetto.