As a (budding) wine enthusiast, I absolutely love tasting a wine over the course of an evening and evaluating it and seeing how it evolves over several hours. But sometimes, I just want to drink a nice, good, easy wine without having to go all geek. And I do have a few of those that I pull out here and there. My latest version of an easy slurper came in the form of #BudgetMinded Pio Cesare Dolcetto. This one can be had for about $22.
Dolcetto is from Piedmont, Italy which is home to superstars Barolo and Barbaresco as well as the widely known Barbara. And while it doesn’t have the same pedigree as these other wines, Dolcetto definitely deserves some love. And don’t be fooled by the name which means “little sweet one” – it’s completely dry. Unlike Barolo and Barbaresco which need some time in the bottle, Dolcetto is meant to be consumed fairly young. It tends to be fruity with lower acid and it’s tannins tend to be softer and more approachable. As Italian wines can be inconsistent to say the least (I’ve been burned a time or two), when looking for a Dolcetto, I tend to stick to DOCG and DOC wines from Alba.
Because it’s light and easy drinking, Dolcetto is great with one of my favorites – pizza.
I found myself watching some hoops and eating pizza and this was the perfect wine to pop for the occasion. Nice, ripe juicy plums and blackberries along with balanced acidity made this one go down easy. Almost too easy! It really had a brightness and freshness to it which made it such a pleasure to drink.
There was a tad bit left over the next day (I know! What is this leftover wine?!) and it paired nicely with some cheese and charcuterie while hanging out on the front porch.
Like I said, this is wine to chill with. And sitting outside really afforded the opportunity to see how beautiful it was in the glass. OK, so yeah, there has to be “some” observation of the wine.
I also think this would be nice with BBQ ribs. I can’t wait to fire up the pit and sip on some, not to mention hanging out by the pool come summer. Cheers!
4 Comments
Renia
•7 years ago
I really love how you capture the essence of the wines you drink. Instead of just chugging them like me. Great work. Maybe I can host a tasting and you can tell us all about the wines.
-R
Kat
•7 years ago
Thank you for reading! And I would absolutely love that! Part of the appeal of wine education is passing on that knowledge and sharing your thoughts.
Michelle Carr
•7 years ago
Thanks for sharing this post! I love Barolos and just started getting into Italian red wines. I’m going to have to try this budget friendly Pio Cesare Dolcetto!
Kat
•7 years ago
Hi Michelle. I don’t know. If you’ve gone Barolo, it’s hard to go back. LOL! But I find Barolo makes me “think” and sometimes I don’t wanna.