Barbera is often confused with ‘Barolo’ or ‘Barbaresco,’ but both of them are made from the nebbiolo grape. Barbera, however, is completely different in colour, producing very dark wines. In terms of flavour, we find cherries and beautiful acidity.
Barbera is primarily found in Piemonte (Barbera d’Alba and Barbera d’Asti), but also in many other regions of Italy and even in California.
Barbera typically ripens about two weeks earlier than nebbiolo, which is very helpful for winemakers in Piemonte, as they can harvest it earlier than the nebbiolo. Barbera produces bold wines with a lot of fruit and remarkable freshness, combined with moderate tannins.
Some winemakers, such as our producer Nada Giuseppe, believe that these wines should not be aged in oak in order to preserve the full expression of the fruit. Other winemakers, however, do use oak, with equally beautiful results. Our examples of this are the ‘Ciabot du Ré’ Barbera d’Alba from Giovanni Corino, or the Barbera d’Asti ‘La Crena’ from Vietti. The ‘La Crena’ is produced from very old vines (planted in 1932) on a limestone terroir with a southern exposure.
Discover this wonderful grape!
NOW IN PROMOTION 11 + 1 FREE on all our wines made from the barbera grape until 28/2/2025