Barbera, The Red “Everyday” Wine
Our guest writer, Maurizio Fava, is an expert in Italian wines. A sommelier and consultant for top Italian wineries, he’s sharing his knowledge with Italy in SF’s readers. Find his full bio on the “About” page.
Barbera is, first of all, a grape variety. The most important red grape in Piedmont, planted in every wine corner of this part of Italy, it could be described as a “regional brand”. When thousands of Piedmontese families had to move abroad as emigrants, they took in the new world few poor clothes, and Barbera vines. That is why today Barbera is also produced in Argentina and California. Barbera grapes produce Barbera wine, and it is curious to know that in Piedmontese-Italian language the vine is male (IL Barbera) but the wine is female (LA Barbera), perhaps as ancient farmers got much more satisfactions by drinking wine instead of hard working in the vineyards.
“La” Barbera had been for a long time the basic wine that people drink at home everyday. Barolo and Barbaresco were considered more “important” wines, for special occasions. As a matter of fact, things are now by far different, and many wine makers and wine lovers think of this wine as one of the best in Italy. In 2008, Barbera Asti and Barbera Monferrato have been officially declared docg (the top level of Italian wine categories)
Barbera wine is ruby red, and its typical perfumes are the same of rose, and black cherry. Taste is powerful, fresh and poor in tannins, and it is very well matching with food, specially traditional recipes, meat and barbecue. The regional name is Piemonte Barbera, but premium wines have also some different geographical specifications according to the place of production: Alba, Asti, Monferrato, Nizza, Colli Tortonesi and others. Everywhere the quality is high, but finding out the differences could be an exciting experience, a nice trip of pleasure, better when directly made in the wineries.
Filed under: Wines
I’m sure this will go really well with some delectable ribs!
Why are Barbera wines (and actually Italian wines) so difficult to find in SF restaurants even Italian ones? An exception is Farina which has a good selection. They even have lots of different types of grappa. They also have limoncello.
I find a good selection of Italian wines in many restaurants in the Bay Area, most notably La Ciccia, Farina, Perbacco, and in the South Bay Donato Enoteca and La Tigelleria. However, depending on what you consider an Italian restaurant, I can see it’s a hard quest!
I’ve long been a champion of Barbera. Barbera along with Pinot Noir is one the most versatile wines to pair with food. I like traditional ones best as some of the ultra-modern versions get more fat and are dominated by oak but that’s more a matter of taste.
Vietti got a good one, Tre Vigne, for around $ 16. Giacomo Conterno has one of the best, Cascina Francia, for around $ 45.
Thank you Eric! Great info for those of us in the Bay Area!