Barbera

  • Aromas and Flavors: blackberries, cherries, currants, raspberries and blueberries (vanilla, smoky or toasty notes added by barrel aging)
  • AKA: Barbera d’Asti and Barbera del Monferrato, Barbera d’Alba, and Colli Toronesi
  • Low to moderate tannins and high levels of acid (unusual for a warm climate red grape)
  • Thrives in clay soils
  • Barbera grapes are also high in anthocyanins
  • Wines are deep, purplish black in their youth, but tend to early browning and lightening as they age
  • High affinity for oak and tannin from oak aging can help somewhat to stabilize color
  • Neutral aroma, high color and acidity are all good characteristics for blending with other grapes and this is how Barbera is most frequently used
  • Barbera is an ancient variety with its historical roots in Italy, and it remains the second most widely planted red variety, after Sangiovese
  • The highest quality Barberas come from the Piedmont region, and also produced in Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Sardinia
  • Outside of Italy, rarely found in Europe except for small plantings in Greece, Romania, and Israel
  • Barbera is also grown in Slovenia and is the fifth most widely planted variety in California
  • Most California Barbera is grown in the Central Valley, the Sierra Foothills, Paso Robles, Santa Clara and Sonoma, where very warm days are moderated by cool nights produce some of the state’s best varietal Barberas