Barbera! Barbera! Where are you?

The Barbera grape was once described as Italy’s Cinderella grape; always hard working, you could always count on it and yet never appreciated for the beauty that it is.

The Barbera grape has all the attributes that we seem to love in a red wine yet doesn’t get the attention of its regional cousin Barolo (Nebbiolo). The colour ranges from deep red in older versions to dark inky purple in young expressions. Fruit flavours include raspberry, blueberry, blackberry and cassis and are often combined with the scent of essential oils like lavender. There is bright acidity which makes it pair well with food and makes you mouthfeel great and remarkably low tannins which means you don’t get the big pucker after a sip. So why is it under-rated?

Both Barbera and Nebbiolo come from Piedmont. Nebbiolo garners global demand and therefore fetches high profits for importers, distributors, wineries and growers. I can sink into a Nebbiolo and be quite content to let it wash over me, however, like a Spa treatment, I can’t afford to do this every day. Rather I can enjoy a world class Barbera for an ‘Everyday’ price every night.

Nebbiolo may get all the press and command huge prices, but if you scratch away the hype you may just find the jewel of the region is Barbera. As an example the Wine Spectator recently published this quote about the 2006 vintage in Piedmonte “Many outstanding reds, but mixed weather made slightly lean Nebbiolos-89/100 points” (http://www.winespectator.com/vintagecharts/search/id/36)  This rating is interesting because Nebbiolo takes at least 2 weeks longer to ripen than Barbera. ‘Mixed weather’ usually, and in this case does, refer to the weather at harvest. Barbera harvest was clear and dry in 2006. If the Nebbiolo harvest was a clear and dry it would have likely scored 94-96 points just like in 2005. The lesson here is that the 2006 Barbera harvest scores 94-96 points yet the wines are a fraction of the price of Nebbiolo. If I was a stock analyst I would be posting 2006 Barbera as a serious buy.

 Nobili Palazzolli 2006 Barbera Piedmonte $14.99 – deep purple in the glass with generous aromas of black and sour cherries, raspberries and blueberries with undertones of savoury spices, lavender and violets.  The palate is robust and full  of fruit with earthy nuances while it finishes fruity and clean leaving the palate feel great.

SCORE: 88-89/100 points

Arduini Barbera D’Asti $14.99 – bright purple to deep red in colour the nose features more raspberries and blueberries with hints of rosemary and sage. The palate is full of ripe juicy flavours with a hint of vanilla. The finish is clean and the mouth feel round and alive.

SCORE: 87-88/100 points

Alfiero Boffa 2003 Barbera D’Asti Collina della Vedova D.O.C. $34.99- Just maybe on of my best wine experiences of this year. Not only does this wine over deliver for the price (not many in this price point can say that), and on the few occasions that I have $30+ to spend on a bottle of wine this would definately by in the top 2-3 of choices. Deep blood red purple in colour with seductive aromas of licorice, chocolate, raspberry, red & black cherries, violets, lavender and all sorts of savoury spices. The palate is a bounty of well balanced ripe fruit flavours and fresh spices, while the acidity is nice and bright. Scrumptous!

SCORE: 92-94/100 points

Join Liquor Plus Duncan and Liquor Plus Douglas for a tasting of the Nobili Palazzolli Barbera on Saturday March 6 between 3 & 5pm.

As you sit down to a burger, pizza or steak this weekend, raise a glass of Barbera and toast to improving the quality of life… one sip at a time.