Understand the grape
Getting to know the grape
Barbera has deep colour but little tannin, the drying grip you feel on your gums, which sets it apart from most dark red wines. What it has instead is acidity, high enough to make the mouth water. A young bottle may smell of sour cherry, blackberry, plum and dried herbs, sometimes with a hint of pepper. The alcohol is often moderate to high, around 13 per cent in Barbera d'Asti, so the wine can feel generous and sharp at once. If Nebbiolo's firm tannin is too much for an ordinary dinner, Barbera is the Piemonte red to try next.
Piemonte labels often print the grape first and the place second. In Barbera d'Asti and Barbera d'Alba, Barbera is the grape, and Asti and Alba are the places. The word Asti alone on a label usually means the sparkling sweet wine made from Moscato, not Barbera. The Barbera d'Asti rulebook quotes a survey of 1873 which already called Barbera a very well-known vine, native to the Asti area and grown there for a very long time. The grape covers more ground in Piemonte than Nebbiolo, although Nebbiolo is more famous.
Where Barbera changes
Grape to place
Compare how the grape grows and tastes in these places. Each guide explains the local wines; the Atlas shows where they come from.
Monferrato and Asti
Low hills in Asti province and part of Alessandria, where Barbera is the main grape. The rulebook says pale marl soils give fuller, deeper-coloured wines that keep well, while sandy soils give red-fruited wines with lower acidity that mature sooner. Barbera d'Asti and Nizza both come from here.
Langhe
The hills around Alba, better known for Nebbiolo in Barolo and Barbaresco. Barbera d'Alba is the everyday red alongside them. Its rules allow a small amount of Nebbiolo, traditionally blended in to soften the grape's acidity.
Oltrepò Pavese
Hills south of the Po in Lombardia, outside Piemonte. A survey of 2020 counted about 2,400 hectares of Barbera in Lombardia, mostly here, beside Pinot Nero, which is the region's most planted grape.
California, Sierra and Central Valley
Inland California, from Lodi to the Sierra Foothills, where hot days and cool nights suit late-ripening red grapes. Barbera is one of several Italian varieties grown alongside the more common Zinfandel.
What changes the result
Vineyard and cellar
The ripeness of the grapes, contact with their skins, and time in tanks or barrels all help shape the wine. Here is what to look for.
Harvest timing
Soil and ripeness
Barbera needs plenty of sun and is usually planted on the best-exposed slopes, facing south-east to west. The Barbera d'Asti rules call for hillside vineyards below 650 metres and rule out north-facing sites for new plantings. Some growers leave the fruit longer on the vine to soften the acidity, which also raises the alcohol.
Large casks or small barrels
The Barbera d'Asti rulebook describes the traditional large cask and, more recently, the small oak barrique. A large cask adds little flavour and lets the cherry fruit lead. New small barrels can add vanilla, toast and a rounder texture, and some producers use both kinds of vessel for different wines.
A little Nebbiolo
In Barbera d'Alba, the rules allow up to 15 per cent Nebbiolo. The rules say a small addition is traditional to soften Barbera's characteristic acidity. Many bottles are pure Barbera, so the producer's description is the best guide.
Still and lightly sparkling
Most Barbera is still, but Barbera del Monferrato may also be made frizzante, which means lightly sparkling. The rules allow it to be dry or very slightly sweet. If a bottle has a bit of fizz, check the label before assuming a fault.
Read the label
On the bottle
A label may name the place instead of the grape. These names and terms help you work out what is in the bottle.
- Barbera d'Asti
- A DOCG red from the hills of Asti province and part of Alessandria province. DOCG is Italy's strictest tier of protected wine name. The rules require at least 90 per cent Barbera, so the wine is nearly always Barbera alone.
- Superiore
- A step up in ageing, not a different grape. For Barbera d'Asti Superiore, the rules require at least 14 months of ageing, six of them in wood. Subzone names such as Tinella and Colli Astiani can follow it. Barbera d'Alba Superiore needs 12 months, four of them in wood.
- Nizza
- A separate DOCG for Barbera from 18 communes around Nizza Monferrato. The producers' association says the rules require pure Barbera and at least 18 months of ageing, six of them in wood, or 30 months for Riserva. The label may print only the word Nizza, with Barbera understood.
- Barbera d'Alba
- A DOC red from around Alba, in the Langhe and Roero. DOC is the tier below DOCG. Barbera must make up at least 85 per cent, with up to 15 per cent Nebbiolo allowed.
- Barbera del Monferrato
- A wider DOC with a lower grape minimum of 85 per cent. It includes a frizzante version, which is lightly sparkling.
At the table and in the cellar
Practical use
Serve
Serve Barbera around 15 to 17°C, a little cooler than room temperature. Warmth makes the alcohol obvious and flattens the acidity. Young bottles can go in the fridge for 20 minutes beforehand. A medium-bowled glass is enough, as the wine does not need long to open.
Eat
High acidity lets Barbera cut through fat and stand up to tomato, which can make lower-acid reds taste flat. Pizza margherita, sausage ragù, salumi, mushroom risotto and osso buco all suit it. Roast chicken and grilled aubergine work well. Delicate fish and very sweet sauces are poor partners.
Keep
Most everyday Barbera is best within about five years of the vintage, while the cherry fruit is bright. Wines labelled Superiore, Nizza or from old vines are made for longer. The Barbera d'Asti rulebook calls its Superiore wines of greater consistency and complexity and very long-lived, and it describes the wines from pale marl soils as keeping well.
Taste it in three steps
Three bottles
You can try these bottles on separate occasions. Keep a note of the name, vintage and what you notice, then use the steps below to decide what to compare.
- 01
Start with Barbera d'Asti
Open a Barbera d'Asti from a recent vintage and taste it with something tomato-based. Notice how sharp the acidity is at first, and how it softens beside the food.
- 02
Compare Barbera d'Alba
Taste a Barbera d'Alba at a similar price. Look for differences in fruit, body and oak between the two places, and check whether the label says Superiore.
- 03
Try a Nizza
Finish with a Nizza. It is pure Barbera with longer ageing, so compare the weight, the length and the darker fruit with your first glass.