Winemaker Notes
Ruby red in color with hues of violet. Elegant and intense, with notes of fresh mature red fruit, such as cherry and currant.Harmonious, with great structure and roundness. Beautiful savory finish.
Pairs well with pasta with tomato sauce, pizza, fish, and white meat.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This shows intense, but also some very fresh notes of blackberry compote, citrus and bracken. Medium body, zippy acidity and a fine, clear-cut finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Fragrant purple flower, baking spice and black-skinned berry aromas mingle with an earthy whiff of forest floor. On the succulent palate, supple tannins and fresh acidity balance juicy Marasca cherry, crushed raspberry and licorice. It's easy drinking and savory. Drink through 2020.
Best Buy
Friendly and approachable, Barbera produces wines in a wide range of styles, from youthful, fresh and fruity to serious, structured and age-worthy. Piedmont is the most famous source of Barbera; those from Asti and Alba garner the most praise. Barbera actually can adapt to many climates and enjoys success in some New World regions. Somm Secret—In the past it wasn’t common or even accepted to age Barbera in oak but today both styles—oaked and unoaked—abound and in fact most Piedmontese producers today produce both styles.
Recognized as the source of the best Barbera in all of Italy, Asti is a province (as well as major city) in Piedmont, consisting of a gentle, rolling landscape with vineyards, farmland and forests alternating throughout.
Barbera d’Asti can be made in an array of styles from relatively straightforward, fruity and ready for consumption early, to the more concentrated, oak aged version with an ability to cellar impressively for 10-15 years and beyond. Some of the very best sites for Barbera in Asti are concentrated in the subzone of Nizza Monferrato. Other red varieties grown here include Freisa, Grignolino and Dolcetto, which can be bottled varietally or blended into Barbera.
Historically consumers commonly associated the Asti region with Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti, both playful, aromatic, sparkling wines made from the Muscat grape. Asti Spumante is less sweet, fully fizzy and more alcoholic (yet still clocking in at only around 9% alcohol) while Moscato d’Asti is sweeter, gently sparkling (“frizzante”) and closer to 5 or 6% alcohol. Each is produced in stainless steel tanks to preserve the fresh and fruity flavors of the grape, often including peach, apricot, lychee and rose petal. Asti is also the spot for the pink-hued Brachetto d'Acqui, a slightly sparkling wine ready to charm with its raspberry and rose flavors and aromas.