What is Barbera wine: the female warrior - Guide to Barbera wine
/by: Alexa
I couldn’t count how many times I was asked “What is Barbera wine? Is Barbera male or female in Italian?” Barbera is obviously female.
The name derives from the adjective Barberus, which means fearless and impetuous. She’s an untamed warrior, both in the vineyard and in the bottle.
Because Barbera an everyday wine, very popular in the past on the farmers tables, Barbera was mockingly referred to as “she”. Today in Piedmont people embraced this female adjective and empowered the wine with it.
The origins of Barbera wine can be traced back to ancient Roman times when the Barbera grape was already being cultivated in the region. The grape was highly valued for its high acidity and deep color, but it was initially considered secondary to other grape varieties such as Nebbiolo, which is used to produce the famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines.
The first time that we find the name Barbera inside the Asti area is in a document from the XVI century. From the XVII century Barbera from Asti started to spread to the nearby areas of Monferrato, Alessandria, Tortona, Vercelli and Novara, but she still was a simple wine, because of the high acidity and fruitiness, highly produced and cheap.
However, at the beginning of the XIX century an excellence area for Barbera wine was recognized. It was an anticipation of the DOC and DOCG area, established in 1970 and 2008, respectively. Unfortunately, Barbera had a setback during the 1900, farmers were more interested in the quantity of the grapes to sell than in the quality. In 1946 the Barbera d’Asti and Monferrato wine consortium was created, but the debut of today Barbera was only in the Sixties, thanks to Giacomo Bologna, the founder of the Braida winery. He believed in this grape’s possibilities and decided to experiment using a barrique to age her. He was an inspiration for the other wine producers of the area that understood the importance of this wine and followed him.
Today Barbera is the most grown grape in Piedmont. Always with high acidity and low tannins, Barbera wine it’s drinkable very young, with notes of ripe cherries, or after being aged in wood, which would make her more elegant, softening the acidity and giving more structure. This last one can be aged more in the bottle and gives you notes of spices, dark cherries and violets.
But now, let’s talk about the main denominations of Langhe and Monferrato areas.
BARBERA D’ALBA DOC
The area of production is Langhe surrounding the town of Alba.
By disciplinary the composition must be at least 85% Barbera, the rest can be of another red grape.
The color is dark ruby, with light purple reflexes.
The wine is typically fruit forward, in the nose you’ll have notes of red fruits, such as fresh cherries and raspberries with a hint of roses.
In the mouth she is dry, with the same fruity notes. You can sense the acidity typical of Barbera wine.
You can also find Barbera d’Alba Superiore DOC, the aging is at least twelve months total, with at least four in wood.
BARBERA D’ASTI DOCG
The production area is wide and consists of different towns between Asti and Alessandria province.
By disciplinary the composition must be at least 90% Barbera grapes and the rest 10% could be another type of black grape from Piedmont.
The color is dark ruby red and tends to turn more garnet with aging.
In the nose she is intense, you can feel fruity notes, such as dark cherries, dark wild fruits and blackberries. Aging this wine for a longer time gives you notes of cinnamon, licorice, chocolate and fruity jam.
In the mouth you feel the fruity notes with the typical acidity of the wine. The aging gives you some tannins, thanks to the wood, and a velvety sensation in the palate.
The Superiore version requires at least twelve months of aging, in which at least for six months has to be put in wood.
NIZZA DOCG
Historically, Nizza area is one of the most suitable for Barbera production, therefore the winemaker asked for the DOCG and obtained it in 2014. Today is one of the top-quality Barbera.
The area of production consists of eighteen towns around Nizza Monferrato. The grapes are grown in the best spots of the vineyards, south, southeast and southwest exposition.
By disciplinary the composition must be 100% barbera grapes.
The color can be dark ruby or dark garnet with more aging.
In the nose you find notes of dark cherries, plums and dark berries, that can evolve in fruit jam, cocoa bean and balsamic notes, such as eucalyptus. With a longer aging in wood, the wine will also have cinnamon and licorice notes.
In the mouth Nizza DOCG has a long persistence and a finish in harmony with the elegant notes on the nose. The aging gives this wine complexity and some elegant tannins, with a velvety sensation at the palate.
Nizza DOCG is aged for at least eighteen months, with a minimum of six in wood.
Nizza DOCG riserva is aged for a longer time: a minimum of thirty months, with at least twelve in wood.