Barbera

The Old Lady Of North West Italy

Although Nebbiolo wins in Piedmont’s fine wine stakes, producing the world famous wines of Barbaresco and Barolo, Barbera is the local favourite and everyday drinker. Productive and versatile, it’s Italy’s third most planted red variety.

Flavour

Elderflower, jasmine, green apple, gooseberry and lime juice flavours, almost always underpinned by a herbal touch reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc.

Style Range

Widely experimented with in Piemonte producing anything from young and cheap drinkers, spritzy lunch reds or high quality powerful and intense wines.

Structure

Barbera ripens later than most reds, but retains its high acidity even when fully ripe, which makes it very popular in warmer regions. It has a very attractive deep colour, lends itself well to oak ageing, and its full body makes brilliant winter warmer wines.

Food Pairings

Perfect with tomato based stews or slow cooked red meat. A glass of Barbera D’Asti and a bowl of gnocchi al ragu will see you right on a cold and wet Sunday afternoon.

Growing Regions

ITALY – Piemonte
Known as the ‘People’s Wine’ due to its versatility and abundance. The better examples, with more controlled yields are Barbera D’Asti DOCG and Barbera D’Alba DOCG. The Piemontese are hoping the creation of Nizza DOCG will show off the best Barbera can be, although PR is needed, as high priced Barbera can be difficult to sell.

ITALY – Elsewhere
Produced across Lombardia and Emilia Romagna in the Po River basin. Its versatility means it makes everything from solid table reds, red fizz, and offers up a useful blending component.

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD
Its high acidity makes it a great choice for warmer regions around the world, including California and Australia’s state of Victoria. Italian immigrants took it with them to Argentina where it still widely planted.