You have, of course, heard of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir, but have you ever heard of Barbera?
If not, you’re in for a real treat, and if so, you know why people are in for a real treat. Barbera is not as well known as the common varietals you see on the grocery store shelf (or even expensive wine shops) because it grows mostly in one region in Italy- Piemonte, also known as Piedmont. While it does well in California too, you rarely see any, it’s mostly small producers.
Barbera is a red grape, and it’s the third most planted in all of Italy, behind Sangiovese and Montepulciano. It grows well in the regions Barbera d’Asti, close to the more famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, both well known for their amazing expressions of the Nebbiolo grape. The DOCg Nizza, awarded DOCg status in 2014, is particularly well known for finer production of Barbera.
Piemonte is a cool climate region, so you would expect Barbera to be high acid, and it most certainly is- tart and refreshing, featuring intense red fruits- cherry, raspberry, and red plum, with some black fruits as well. Interestingly, it is a low to moderate tannin wine, so you don’t get much of an astringent feeling around your teeth and tongue. Despite the high acid, it is softer, approachable wine.
Barbera used to be known as good value “table wine,” something to enjoy with food, something to enjoy when you just wanted a glass of good red wine, but not something you would age for decades and consider a nuanced, deeply layered fine wine. It was just a good, honest, glass of wine that gave you a little more than a run of the mill California Cab at a better price.
But now, Barbera is starting to come into its own, especially with the Nizza DOCg, featuring strict regulations leading to a true expression of terroir for the Barbera grape. Oak aging is now common, both in large neutral oak botti, or new French Oak barriques, adding a hint of vanilla to the red fruits.
What would a wine be without a good scandal story? Well, Barbera certainly has one for you- in the mid 80’s, two cheap winemakers, Giovanni and Daniele Ciravegna had too much cheap Barbera on their hands, and it was sitting at 5.7% abv. They wanted it around 12%. Since they were cheap, they just added Methanol to the wine- not even ethanol- and they got it to 12%. Then people started dying because Methanol is poison. 33 people died in Italy, several went blind, and many more suffered serious health issues.
The reputation of Italian wine in general, and Barbera specifically took a huge hit- a 40% decrease in sales, and reputational damage for many years. But Barbera began to make a comeback when producers like Bava began to focus on low yields, strict winemaking processes, and an eye to quality, not just cranking out as much garbage wine as possible. Yes, there are higher priced Barbera’s on the market now, like Bava’s Piano Alto, and they can age quite a long time- more expensive, but worth it.
Barbera goes well with most Italian dishes, specifically pizza, ravioli, and lasagna. It’s not delicate like Pino Noir, and can stand up to more intense foods with its intense red fruit flavors. Due to the high acid, it will also pair well with creamier, more intense cheeses, and perhaps the only thing better than wine and cheese is wine and meat and cheese.
If you’re going to drink Barbera, drink it in a Syrah/Shiraz glass. The wider bowl will give it more surface area to open up, and the narrowing at the tope of the glass will focus the aromas. Serve it at 60 degrees.
Today I am drinking the Piano Alta 2001 Barbera from Bava, a highly respected producer. Interestingly, this wine was made before Nizza became an official DOCg in 2014, so the labelling still says “Barbera d’Asti,” with Nizza as a subzone.
Barbera is known for being an early drinker, so we’re in for a real treat with an aged Barbera- this one is 24 years old! I expect it to be very tart since Barbera is know for its high acidity, but a smooth tartness due to age, not a rough one. We might get some chocolate, we might get some leather, and we will definitely get red fruits- cranberries, raspberries, red currant, and red plum perhaps.
Barbera is certainly a food friendly wine, but when I drink a finer wine, I like to let the wine speak for itself, over a few hours to see where it will go, see where it will take me. Does it evolve and change so the first sip and the last sip are different? To me that’s the magic of wine, the evolution as you go through a bottle. Wines that don’t change much are boring, if you drink them, they’re for pairing with food and sharing with friends. Excellent Italian wines, especially those from Piemonte are selfish wines, keep them to yourself or only share them with the best of friends. I don’t want to miss out on a sip of something I will never taste again.
Enjoy!
-John Alanis,
Certified Sommelier
Buy Piano Alta Barbera by Bava from Nizza DOCg
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