Rossese

Also known as Rossese di Dolceacqua, Tibouren (related, debated).

Rossese is the most celebrated native red grape of Liguria, at home in the far-western valleys around Dolceacqua (province of Imperia) near the French border, where it makes the Rossese di Dolceacqua DOC. It is a light, elegant red often compared to Provençal reds and sometimes linked to the Provençal Tibouren.

It gives pale, perfumed, silky reds with red-fruit and floral aromas, herbal and lightly spicy notes, soft tannins and fresh acidity — a graceful, terroir-expressive wine from the steep coastal and valley terraces, usually enjoyed relatively young.