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It's Time for Dolcetto d'Ovada: A Vertical Wine Tasting

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Dolcetto d'Ovada. Photo from www.ovada.eu Dolcetto d'Ovada. Photo from www.ovada.eu

The Consortium for the Protection of Ovada DOCG organized its first wine tasting event on Saturday, February 1, 2015: “It’s Time for Ovada: Share” (“E’ Ora di Ovada: Condividi”).


The goal of the event was to allow Dolcetto d'Ovada DOCG producers to directly communicate their wines and to describe their territory’s diversity, allowing wine tasters to understand the land in its entirety. In addition, this vertical wine tasting demonstrated that Dolcetto has the capacity to age well. 

The vertical wine tasting featured thirty years of Dolcetto, with vintages ranging from 1985 until 2010, the youngest Dolcetto d'Ovada DOCG on the market. Both members and non-members of the Consortium were present with their wines, in addition to several wineries (of the older vintages) that no longer exist.

Twenty-two townships make up the DOCG production area in the Acquese and Ovadese wine zone: Ovada, Belforte Monferrato, Bosio, Capriata d’Orba, Carpeneto, Casaleggio Boiro, Cassinelle, Castelletto d’Orba, Cremolino, Lerma, Molare, Montaldeo, Montaldo Bormida, Mornese, Morsasco, Parodi Ligure, Prasco, Rocca Grimalda, San Cristoforo, Silvano d’Orba, Tagliolo Monferrato, and Trisobbio. A surprising diversity of Dolcetto comes from these territories, creating wines that are wonderful drunk young, and yet still display a lively acidity when aged, affirming this Dolcetto’s potential to be a great red wine.

The vertical wine tasting of Dolcetto d'Ovada included 11 townships and 14 wines (listed in order of tasting, townships last):

2010 La Piria “Du Sü,” Rocca Grimalda
2009 Facchino “Carasӧi,” Rocca Grimalda
2007 Cascina Boccia, Tagliolo Monferrato
2007 Ca del Bric “Bricco Trionzo,” Montaldo
2006 Casa Wallace, Cremolino
2004 La Ghera “Albareto,” Molare
2003 Cascina Gentile, Capriata d’Orba
1999 Tenuta Mosé “Val Mosé,” Ovada
1999 La Guardia “Il Gamondino,” Morsasco
1998 Ghio "L'Arciprete," Bosio
1996 Castello di Grillano, Ovada
1993 Pino Ratto “Le Olive,” Ovada
1990 Cascina Bagun, Bisio Giancarlo, Carpeneto
1985 Luigi Pesce, Silvano d’Orba

In addition to the wineries represented by their producers, a couple of the older wines no longer had wineries that existed. Lunch for the producers and journalists was held at the Enoteca, and featured more tastings of Dolcetto di Ovada from an even larger selection of producers.

During a pause between decades, Dr. Elisa Paravidino presented Vigneti Tenuta Cannona. The estate and its vineyards, located in the township of Carpeneto (a territory that produces Dolcetto d’Ovada DOCG), is the Experimental Viticultural Center for the Piemonte Region.

Speaking in place of the Center’s Director, Dr. Gabriella Bonifacino, who could not attend, manager Dr. Paravidino described the 54-hectare (133 acres) estate and its activities, emphasizing the practical aspect of its results. For example, many experiments focus on clones, native yeasts, and cultivating rare, “forgotten” grape varieties. In fact, the Center developed the first implementation phases of the Albarossa variety – discovered in 1934 by Giovanni Dalmasso – which now grows throughout Piemonte. For more information: www.tenutacannona.it

Wine tasters present at the event (including journalists and bloggers) were: Adriano Aiello (Dissapore), Alessandro Ricci (Papille Clandestine, Paolo Massobrio), Damiano Raschellà (Porthos), Danilo Poggio (Il Fatto Quotidiano, GRP), Diana Zahuranec (Wine Pass), Luca Amodeo (GeishaGourmet.com), Maria Enrica Bozzo, Mirella Villardi (L’Assaggiatore), Paolo Monticone (L’Assaggiatore), Raffaele Biancardi, Roberto Giuliani (Lavinium), Sergio Bonanno (Gambero Rosso), Sara Porro (Dissapore), Stefano Albenga.

The event was held thanks to the Consortium for the Protection of Ovada DOCG (Consorzio di Tutela dell’Ovada DOCG) with the support of Enoteca Quartino di Vino, www.quartinodivino.it (Via Roma, 23 Ovada), owned by Giuseppe Martelli, who formed the idea of “menùovada,” an initiative that pairs the Ovada wines of Consortium members with the food of Piemonte.

This vertical tasting was the official beginning of a series of events aimed at communicating the Ovadese wine zone directly through the winemakers.

If you’d like to know more about the Consortium and Ovada, please write to info[at]ovada.eu.

The Consortium for the Protection of Ovada DOCG is located in Ovada, and its president is Italo Danielli. Currently at nineteen winery members, the association connects these winemakers who are passionate about the jewel of the Alto Monferrato: Dolcetto, one of Piemonte’s most important red wines. Founded just two years ago, the Consortium’s fundamental goal is to promote Ovada DOCG and its image throughout the world, contributing to the promotion of the entire territory of the Alto Monferrato through wine, food, and tourism.


For more information: Italo Danielli, President (+39 339.563.47.21) – Giuseppe Ravera, Vice President (+39 340.253.93.06) – Paolo Baretta, media relations (+39 348.81.01.42; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) – Tomaso Armento, secretary (+39.334.664.68.50)

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