Barbera
Piedmont, Italy
Piedmont's everyday red: deeply coloured, very high in acid and low in tannin, and juicy with cherry fruit.
Sensory profile
Characteristics
Flavor & aroma
At a glance
Production facts
Prevalence
Niche
Climate
Moderate climate
Ripening
Mid season
Wine styles
Still
Where it's grown
Geography
Shaded areas are the state, province or département(s) containing each region, so they run wider than the appellations themselves.
Italy
Piedmont (Asti, Alba)
Barbera d'Asti and Barbera d'Alba, from fresh and fruity to oak-aged and rich.
United States of America
Background
Origin & History
Barbera is native to the hills of Piedmont, where it has been the most widely drunk red for generations, next to the more prestigious Nebbiolo. Its high acidity and low tannin make it a natural partner for food.
In the 1980s producers in Alba began fermenting and ageing it in small oak barrels to make richer, more expensive wines, and it has since been planted in California and Argentina.
Lineage
Family tree
Parentage not recorded — Barbera is an old variety of unknown origin.
No crossings involving Barbera are documented in the collection yet.