Barolo for lunch #38
Two hipster grapes from Italy
Hi friends! This week I’ve picked two wines from Italy, made from slightly unusual grapes, Dolcetto and Frappato. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend buying both, since they are pretty similar in style, but they are both great choices for a charcuterie board. Cheers! 🍷
Luigi Pira Dolcetto d'Alba – #93356 – 167:-
Pira is a super traditional and usually very solid producer from Serralunga. They are most known for their Barolos, but this Dolcetto is a really nice one too. Very compact in color, with notes of dark cherry and some liquorice. Don’t serve it too cold. 100% Dolcetto.
Arianna Occhipinti SP68 – #95559 – 231:-
Where Pira represents the old and traditional, Occhipinti is quite the opposite – a young woman who shot up like a star on the Sicilian wine sky. This SP68 is kinda earthy and raw, but it backs the minerality up with nice notes of raspberry. 70% Frappato and 30% Nero d'avola.
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Nerd zone: Frappato
Frappato is a lesser-known gem among the Sicilian grapes. It has a light and but aromatic profile not completely unlike it’s more famous neighbors Nerollo Mascalese. It’s usually blended with bolder grapes like Nero d’Avola, to create wines that have a good balance of lightness, fruit and structure. This blend is what makes up Sicily’s only DOCG, Cerasuolo di Vittoria.
These wines are typically not aged in oak, which preserves their vibrant, fruit driven flavors and make them excellent companions to almost any food you can throw at it. They are usually quite cheap wines too, so if you’re looking for something new to try I’d highly recommend it!