Barbera the Ubiquitous

The story: Barbera is a fairly common grape to be so under the radar. Widely planted in Italy (primarily in Piedmont), Barbera has also spread throughout the New World to places like Australia, Argentina, and yes to California. However, in the New World Barbera is often grown in lessor vineyards (it has not historically sold for a lot of money per ton) and the majority ends up in blends. These blends are not the type of blends that would highlight the inclusion of Barbera, it is rather included for its nice acidity and generally bright red fruit flavors.


However it is exactly this tendency toward big acid and fresh fruit that have made a few regions worldwide successful with the grape. The most obvious are the Alba and Asti regions in Italy, but also California is finding some success with the grape in the Sierra Foothills and even in Lodi.

I have found myself attracted to these Barbera bottlings because of their food friendliness. I know that is a phrase that is a bit f***ed out, but it is important. A bottle of wine that shines on the dinner table with a wide variety of foods is a bottle of wine that will be remembered, savored, or purchased again. A balanced wine with bright raspberries, herbs, and mouthwatering acidity will bring enjoyment, but also elevate the food that surrounds it. For me, this is something that wine should aspire to.

The wine: The Giacomo Borgogno & Fils 2008 Barbera d'Alba Superiore is a deep maroon that fades to a ruby edge. The nose is screaming red fruit, with strawberries and raspberries, and a fine layer of dust that often denotes Italian wines to me. There is also hints of the acidity to come in the nose, which comes through in how high-toned the fruit flavors present themselves.
This wine took awhile to open up, but when it did the palate showed blood orange citrus, dusty baking spice, obvious red raspberry and cherry, and a nice earthiness. There was decent depth to the wine, through its light to medium body, and the acidity was zingy and pleasant.
The verdict: This Barbera breaks my expectations in that is has enough happening you could drink it on its own. However, it is a brilliant food wine and for those whose palates are more keyed to New World styles, a dinner table might be the best place to introduce this particular style. I found the flavors delicious, the structure appealing (although drink this sooner than later, as I think the acidity will overwhelm the fruit over the next couple of years), and the pricepoint very appropriate. You can find the wine for around $18 making it a great option to explore this very common grape, that does not often get our attention.