When I was just beginning to explore wine in college some forty years ago, all that I could afford were no named jug wines (who really knew what was in there) or Chianti in squat bottles enclosed in fiascos (traditional straw baskets).  I can still recall how smart I felt, drinking an authentic Chianti from an authentic Italian bottle.  Of course, the real treat was how cheap it was and the good times it brought.

Fortunately for wine enthusiasts, we have come a long way since then.  Frustrated by antiquated DOC regulations, a number of ambitious and creative vintners launched a movement in the 1990’s, seeking to produce a Chianti that would express the true potential of the wine.  Now, as those days of straw enclosed wines fade, we’re graced by a universe of top quality Chianti producers and all due the chances taken by a handful of determined and visionary vintners.  This a story repeated often in the wine world.  We’ve seen it in the Mendoza region of Argentina with the Malbec grape and now in Italy with Barbera, a wine that has proved itself beyond any doubt.

The history of Barbera seems to lay in the hills of Monferrato in the central Piedmont region in northwest Italy where it has been recognized since the thirteenth century.  While the grape and its wine have always had the potential to yield very good to outstanding wines, they have been overshadowed by the gems of the region, Barolo and Barbaresco.  As the grape is very adaptable to soil composition and yields large quantities, it was simple to mass produce the wine for locals, often referred to as a peasant’s wine.  In distinction, the Nebbiolo grape is quite finicky and fickle, requiring just the right soil and sun exposure. 

In the late 1800’s, Piedmont suffered a major Phylloxera outbreak, destroying much of the Nebbiolo grapes but simultaneously opening the door for the easy growing Barbera.  Eventually, the grape became the most widely grown in the region, cheap in both cost and quality.  Through the 1970’s and 80’s the differential in price and quality between Nebbiolos and Barberas continued, a bottle of Barbera running a mere $5 while a high end Barolo could average $20!
 
In 1985, Piedmont was rocked by methanol tainting of Barbera wines.  The result was lethal, killing over thirty people while blinding others.  Even into the 1990’s, the wine struggled to gain its footing.  But the turn of the century unleashed a wave of vintners such as Vietti, Voerzio, Scavino and Giacosa who envisioned a Barbera expressing its full personality and quality through viticultural practices. Recognizing that the grape grows with great vigor, even in less than ideal soils for Nebbiolo, vintners focused upon reducing excessive vine yields that tended to diminish the grape’s inherent attribute of outstanding acidity. 

In earlier years, the wine’s acidity tended to dominate its profile as vintners harvested grapes in mass without much attention to fruit ripeness and sugar levels.  This resulted in suggestions by consultants that the wine’s acidity be tamed by fermenting and aging the wine in oak and through blending with other grapes.  It was felt that new oak would modify the personality of the wine, adding an element of spiciness and tannins from the oak itself.  As well, extra oxygenation was recommended to balance the Barbera’s reductive aromas  (hydrogen sulfide).  Today, it’s recognized that these practices are less needed as vintners reduce yields, refine vinification techniques, and understand the advantage to harvesting riper fruit in order to counterbalance the tougher edge of acidity.  The result are wines that, at the top of their class, are outstanding in flavor and food friendliness.

Routine harvest takes place between late September and early October with the more robust style resourced from grapes harvested a little later weather permitting.  Barbera seems to be most vigorous in calcareous and clay based soils but is very adaptable to alternatives and is cultivated on lower and cooler slopes.  The grape does not grow quite as robustly in sandy, alkaline or saline based soils.

Barbera is the third most populous grape variety grown in Italy, with the top deriving from Asti and Monferrato.  Alba also has the potential to yield outstanding Barberas but as much of that prime real estate is dedicated to Nebbiolo, it leaves the secondary tier of soils and exposure for Barbera resulting in a wines with less quality.  Look for vintners such as Scavino, Conterno Fantino, Fontanafredda (one of my go to value Barberas), Rinaldi, Altare, Marchesi di Barolo, Pio Cesare, Bruno Giacosa, Bruno Rocca, Sandrone, Vietti, Clerico, and Roberto Voerzio.

While Piedmont is the undisputable home to Barbera, the variety is widely planted through other regions of Italy, often blended with alternative grapes, produced as an everyday table wine and as a lively semi-sparkling frizzante style.  Barbera is also produced outside Italy, with California and Washington state trialing the wines as well as the Victoria region of Australia.

Attended by fresh acidity and deep fruits, Barbera is a great match for a wide universe of cuisine.  If you’re going with the “regional” approach, then you must include grilled, roasted or stewed meats, poultry and game such as lamb, veal, sausage, chicken, duck and game birds.  But barbecued ribs, veal chops and even your basic hamburger work as well.  Then there’s the classic pasta dishes with tomato or pesto based sauce.  Better yet, make it a meat based sauce using ground pork, veal or ground beef. And of course, let’s not forget my favorite food group: pizza.  Top this off with lots of tomato sauce and meats such as sausage, pepperoni or ground beef and you have a classic regional dish.

Finally, don’t be shy about testing a Barbera with certain types of seafood in tomato sauce such as bass or salmon, especially grilled.  Remember, while it’s seafood, it’s the sauce that will ultimately allow it to pair

Tags: Barbera, Nebbiolo