Barbera

TL; DR

A medium-bodied Italian that shines with Friday night pizza.

So, what's Barbera all about?--racy

Barbera may well be the gateway wine to Piedmont’s finest Nebbiolo wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, as it is an approachable and delicious red grape variety that the locals drink as their ‘everyday’ wine. It’s got an abundance of fruit, low tannins and high acidity that’s wonderful for quaffing (an archaic wine term but fun to say!) and it’s just perfect for food. And Barbera is also easy on the wallet compared to the sky-high prices of its revered cousin Nebbiolo!

Once the third most planted red grape variety in Italy after Sangiovese and Montepulciano, Barbera fell out of favour in the 1980s (due to a terrible scandal involving methanol that killed thirty people), but happily, today’s winemaking is 100% safe, and the variety is now making its rightful way back into the hearts of the wine-drinking public.

Young vine Barbera offers aromas of red and blackberries, and in the lightest examples, you’ll also find aromas of cherries, raspberries and blueberries with that tell-tale acidity. We wouldn’t recommend cellaring them past a year or two as they’re most definitely drink-now styles.

But! Century-old vines still exist in many Italian vineyards, producing long-ageing, robust wines with intense black cherry fruit, moderate alcohol and amplified tannins, with the best wines from vineyards around the towns of Asti and Alba in Piedmont, labelled Barbera d’Asti and Barbera d’Alba, and the Nizza DOCG denomination from Monferrato the most prized of all (these wines must be aged for at least two years before release). Many producers employ the use of oak or chestnut barrels for maturation, which provide increased complexity, ageing potential, and oaky flavours of spice and vanilla. And these wines you definitely do want to put away for a few years!

Where did Barbera originate?--plum

Barbera is generally believed to have originated in Monferrato in Piedmont, where it has been documented since the 13th century, however, one grapevine expert has speculated that Barbera actually came from the region of Lombardy. To be fair, these two regions are only two hours apart by car, so a generalised ‘Northwest Italy’ is a definite pick!

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Italian immigrants brought Barbera to the Americas, where the vine took root in California, Argentina and Brazil among other places, whilst recent DNA testing has suggested that Barbera may be related to Mourvèdre (also known as Monastrell and Mataro), a full-bodied, rustic variety often blended into Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Where's the best Barbera is from?--earth

Barbera is a super-vigorous plant, meaning the vine grows really fast, and each vine produces lots of grapes. This is wonderful if the grape grower wants to make a bulk wine of light-to-medium intensity, with high acidity and potential sharpness, but it’s not ideal if they’re aiming to produce a wine of intensity and quality. This is fixed by well-timed pruning to allow the grapes left on the vine to fully ripen and for their acidity to soften.

Barbera’s also very clever, as it tends to ripen earlier than its vineyard-mate Nebbiolo, and the vines can do well in less advantageous sites, so many Piedmontese winemakers in communes such as Alba give their best sites over to the more precocious Nebbiolo, and are still able to produce quality wine with Barbera that will be consumed earlier, while the Nebbiolo ages.

And whilst Piedmont growers mainly produce single varietal Barbera wines, many regions throughout Italy use it as a blending grape thanks to its low tannins, high yields, and refreshing acidity, even making semi-sparkling or ‘frizzante’ wines in Lombardy. It is grown as far down as the islands of Sardinia, Sicily, and into the heel of Puglia and its almost-next-door-neighbour Campania in the sunny south.

In California, Barbera is the most successful of the Piedmontese varieties, historically used in inexpensive blends, but recently single varietal, high-quality wines have started being produced. Barbera is also widely grown in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, and made its way to Australia via California in the 1960s, finding a successful home in many regions due to its ability to ripen late, like Shiraz and Merlot.

What does Barbera taste like?--aromatic

A mix of black and blue fruits leads into a medium-bodied palate with zesty acidity and lower tannins. Savoury, floral and refreshing, look out for blueberries, violets and blood orange.

The Main styles of Barbera--cellar

Most producers make Barbera in an 'early drinking' style, although a few play around with long barrel ageing to produce structured, serious wines. We at GPD think the first style has more merit and is certainly more fun!

Which Foods pair with Barbera?--plum

Barbera is basically the ultimate pizza wine - refreshing acidity, floral and fruit, but finishing with a savoury flourish. Try it out with anything casual that needs a wave of acidity to clean things up - fried food, tacos, burgers etc

Fun fact--earth

In Piedmont, they say that you can drink your Barbera whilst you're waiting for your Nebbiolo to be ready! We think this is a backhanded compliment to the joys of Barbera, and you can damn well drink it anytime you please!

If you like this, you should also give these grapes a guzzle...--wines

Dolcetto and Mencia

About the Author

Melissa is a perpetual student of wine (currently WSET Diploma) and competition-winning sommelier. She has a sharp palate for both wine (duh) and sandwiches, enhanced only when blaring loud dance music.