|  One thing that strikes you as you reach the Langhe hills, driving from Torino in the month of October is the beautiful patchwork of green, orange, yellow and red all around you. How come, the painters, writers and poets love Veneto, Tuscan hills of Chianti Classico and Lake Como etc. but do not rave about this region, you wonder?
Perhaps, they did not visit the region in Fall, when the Dolcetto vines turn a combo of red, orange and yellow, spreading a multi-colour sheet on the slopes. The slightly- yellow turning patches of Nebbiolo vines and the odd green vines of Viognier or Barbera lend a beautiful contrast. Occasional glimpse of snow capped Alps behind the slopes add a magnificent backdrop that is a nature lover's delight. The pleasure would be amplified with a glass of Dolcetto di Dogliani in hand!
'Drink Well- Drink Dolcetto di Dogliani' is what the brochure at Bottega del vino Dolcetto di Dogliani distributed to us from the Municipality of Dogliani in the presence of Mayor Gallo suggested. We were at the Town Hall for a tasting of the Dogliani wines.
You may drink the great wines of Barolo, Barbaresco (Nebbiolo grapes, them all), Barbera (most areas around and including Dogliani grow this grape- have even made big strides recently with significant quality improvement through longer ageing) or the dry quaffable wines made from Dolcetto grapes.
Who, what or where is Dogliani
 If you have not heard the name Dogliani- not a problem; many Italians haven't either. But it helps understanding wines from this DOC and DOCG appellation that makes some delicious and uncomplicated but affordable food wines.
Dogliani is a small old city of 5000 inhabitants, about 70 minute drive South of Torino and is at the heart of the appellation which produces about 5 million bottles.
Lying as a natural bowl, surrounded by beautiful green hills, at an altitude of 300 metres, it is considered the capital of the South- West Langa hilly region of Piemonte.
There are seven Appellations for Dolcetto in Piemonte (not including the two more generic ones and for lower classification in the hierarchy- namely DOC Dolcetto Piemonte and DOC Dolcetto Langhe). Besides DOC Dolcetto di Dogliani there are 6 others that include the better know Dolcetto di Alba, Asti and the lesser known Diano Ovada and Acqui.
Dolcetto- the sweet little grape that makes dry wine
If the appellation is confusing, Dolcetto grape is no less of a misnomer. Translated as the 'sweet little one', it is not really a sweet grape but being less acidic than the acidic Barbera , it feels sweeter on the Piemontese palate and hence the name. Wines made from this easier growing and earlier harvesting grapes are quite dry, with the residual sugar being 2-5 gm/ liter (5gm/l or less denotes a dry wine; it is not possible to make a wine with less than 1 gm/l of sugar.)
What is confusing even more is that the regions growing this grape are situated very close to each other, naturally all regions claiming their superiority of their wine and uniqueness of their soil. The region around Alba and Asti including Dogliani in Piedmont is practically the only area where the indigenous grape Dolcetto is green.
Dogliani- Producer of Darling Dolcetto wines
Dogliani has its own rightful reasons to claim superiority of its Dolcetto wines.
Dolcetto grapes were already on the Dogliani hills since 1000 AD. Historical documents also witness that wine trade in these areas started from the XI century. The city takes on its actual shape dividing into Borgo (village) and Castello (castle) since those days.
In restaurants it is used in combination with rather simple dishes, where an easy-drinking, low-alcohol and immediately understandable wine is loveable. However, it remains a truly Piemontese wine even in its classic form. Its gentle, slightly bitter final taste makes it an excellent meal wine .
Of course, the vine area is not as prime as Barolo and Barbaresco where the wines produced from Nebbiolo are considered noble in quality, recognition and price. Dolcetto wine can sell immediately as it is ready to drink after minimal bottling period after fermentation. Dogliani takes pride in its focus on this grape, 90% of the wine from this region being from these grapes.
Wines with a DOC Dolcetto di Dogliani label perhaps bag the highest recognition from Gambero Rosso, L 'espresso and other wine competitions compared to the other appellations making this wine.
Bottega Wine Shop
 An old, charming 16 th century building, which use to be an old monastery is the Town Hall of Dogliani. The basement has a beautiful, antiquated wine shop which cellars wines from all 45 members of this association. One can taste wines from all the wineries at this shop for free and purchase- sort of a one stop shop for enjoying the tastes of Dolcetto di Dogliani - as also the Nebbiolo and Barbera. It is open all days of the week, though hours vary.
Dolcetto is usually drunk slightly cool- at 16°C to get the best flavour. The alcohol levels of 12-14% ( 11.5% is the minimum prescribed for DOC and 13% for DOCG). Dolcetto can be enjoyed throughout the meal as well as with Pizzas and Pastas. It can complement chicken and lamb dishes, if not too hot. Due to soft tannins, it can be enjoyed even by vegetarians and on its own.
Stay at Dogliani
There are plenty of decent and comfortable B&Bs and hotels in the area. Barbarossa (€ 50 for 2 with breakfast), Cascina Gabriela (€78, Cascina Martina €65 Del Tufo Bruno €55 Poderi Luigi Einaudi €93-135 give you an idea of what is available as agriturismo.
If you prefer to stay in a hotel, there are a fair number available too. Villa Santa Teresa is a newly built 4-star property that rents for €50-75. Leon d'Oro is a classic hotel in the middle of Dogliani and at €40 without breakfast, quite economical too. Larenzania (€45- 130) is a hotel situated on a wine estate.
Contd. In the next issue: Proud Producers of Dogliani-editor
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