Ruchè, Rouchet, or occasionally Roche, very rare but distinctive red grape variety of the piemonte region in north west Italy with its own varietal doc around Castagnole Monferrato, occasionally labelled Rouchet. Like nebbiolo, the wine is headily scented and its tannins imbue it with an almost bitter aftertaste. The Italian vine census of 2010 found about about 100 ha/247 acres.
© Jancis Robinson and Oxford University Press 1994, 1999, 2006, 2015
