Albarossa is a cross between Nebbiolo and Barbera, crossed in 1938 by the Italian oenologist Professor Giovanni Dalmasso. In the first few decades, this grape variety was largely ignored; it was only in the 1960s and 1970s that it was thoroughly investigated. In 2001, Albarossa was finally recognized as a quality grape of Piedmont and can now be used in the Monferrato Rosso DOC. As a single varietal wine, Albarossa has many Nebbiolo flavors such as violet and rose, but Nebbiolo's distinctive tar notes are missing. In terms of flavor, Albarossa has more in common with Barbera, typically displaying dried and sometimes spicy herbs and lots of red fruit characters. In the vineyard, Albarossa thrives on slopes with good sunlight and ventilation. This is important to protect the variety against rot in wet vintages, as Albarossa's grapes are compact and susceptible to mold. The vine has small, blue-black berries and is late ripening. The wine is ruby red wine with violet reflections. In good conditions the wine is softly structured with plenty of balanced acidity and high alcohol content. Albarossa responds well to oak barrel aging and can produce high quality, medium to full-bodied wine. The grape variety is extremely rare, but produces expressive, powerful wines.
