Dolcetto's name derives from its sweetness (compared to the other classic Piemontese varieties) which is emphasised by naturally low acidity and counterbalanced by often robust tannins. The counterpart of Barbera, which is high in acitidy, relatively low in tannins and lighter coloured, Dolcetto is often vinified in a light, frothing, youthful style and drunk in the first couple of years of bottling. A deeply-coloured, early-ripening variety, grown in Piemonte around Cuneo and Alessandria, it is usually planted in the sites which are not warm enough to ripen Piemonte's celebrated Nebbiolo grape.