This was the first time I had tasted such a large range of Rossese di Dolceacqua wines.
The tasting was held in a glass room on the roof of the ruined castle of the Doria’s in Dolceacqua. The structure of the room meant that the light was fantastic, as was the view.
The tasting was held blind, with the wines organised in order by the sommeliers of Liguria.
Tasting a range of wines like this with an unknown variety is tricky. Until the qualities of the grape are understood, false judgement can be applied. Structural tannins are good but Rossese’s charm lies in its clean acidity and fresh fruity – not in big hefty wines. Another problem which occurs frequently with Rossese is a rubber aroma – usually a case of problems in the cellar – but at this tasting I was left wondering whether the bottles were faulty.
Overal the wines divided roughly into two – very good wines which were clearly medal quality and some very poor, rustic examples. This wide range of quality does mean that care is needed when buying Rossese di Dolceacqua – stick to the top ten or so producers.
After the tasting we drove up to Pigna to the spa hotel where we were staying and where we were having a joint dinner with the rally car drivers.
Leave a Reply