October 16, 2004

Barbera

Pronounced: [bar-BEHR-uh]

If you like bold Italian reds, Sangiovese, good Chianti... You'll like this varietal, too. I just had a nice Barbera D'Asti by Michele Chiarlo (2001) the other evening that was very nice and quite affordable.

From the International Wine of the Month Club

Barbera is the most successful grape variety in Italy's Piedmont region, where it makes such wines as Barbera d' Asti, Barbera di Monferato and Barbera di Alba. Its wines are characterized by a high level of acidity (meaning brightness and crispness), deep ruby color, full body, and low tannin levels; flavors are berrylike. Nevertheless, plantings have declined sharply in the United States. A few California wineries still produce it as a varietal, but those numbers too are dwindling. Its main attribute as a blending wine is its ability to maintain a naturally high acidity even in hot climates. This varietal has more potential than is currently being realized and may stage a modest comeback as Italian-style wines gain popularity

From WikiPedia:

Barbera is a red wine grape variety from Piemonte region, Italy. Usually produces an intense red wine with deep color, low tannins and high acid and is used in California to provide "backbone" for so-called "jug wines". Century-old vines still exist in many regional vineyards and allow production of long-aging, robust red wines with intense fruit and enhanced tannic content. In Italy the best known varietal made from it is Barbera d'Alba made in Alba, which can produce a good wine with some ageing potential.

Posted by Michael at 10:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack