Albarossa is a crossing of Nebbiolo di Droneroand and Barbera, developed in 1938 by Italian enologist, Professor Giovanni Dalmasso. As a varietal wine, Albarossa has many of Nebbiolo’s aromas, such as violet and rose, but lacks Nebbiolo’s distinctive tarry notes. In terms of flavor, Albarossa has more in common with Barbera and typically shows dried and sometimes spicy herbs, and plenty of red fruit characters. When pressed, the juice makes for ruby-red wine with purple tinges. Up until the early 2000s there was very little of this variety in existence, even now only a handful of wineries produce wines from this variety!
One of the wineries that produce this wonderful wine is Cossetti. Run by three sisters who received their wine-making passion from their father who made wines in Piedmont all his life. Their Albarossa is made from grapes that are hand picked, pressed and macerated for 15-20 days; induced malolactic fermentation after racking and subsequent aging in cement vats for I year. The resultant wine is, intense ruby red colour with purple reflections, clean and ample bouquet with scents of red fruits and light spices. Full-bodied and fleshy palate, with good structure and softness. And pairs well with pasta dishes, white and red meat, medium aged cheeses
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