Stop by Table Wine anytime this Friday, August 30th between the hours of 4 and 7 p.m. to sample a great lineup of Barberas. For many years, Barbera was thought of as quite “ordinary”, as it was and continues to be the most planted grape in Italy’s Piemonte zone. It was a light and tart red wine used to wash down the decadent local foods of the region before moving on to the much more highly regarded wines based on the Nebbiolo grape. But as Master of Wine Jancis Robinson says, “no grape has known such a dramatic upgrade in its fortunes and image in the last 20 years than Barbera in Piemonte, north-west Italy.” Growers have learned that by placing their Barbera vines in warmer, better exposed sites and by keeping their yields on the lower end of the spectrum, one can produce a wine with more concentrated, sweeter flavors. Still, the grape tends to have moderate to high levels of acidity and low tannin, so many producers choose to mature their wines in oak casks which serves to add some oak tannin, to round out the acidity and to add additional flavor to the wine.
These days, producers in the communes of Asti and Alba are responsible for the best Barberas in the world. For this Friday’s tasting we’ll taste the whole stylistic range of Barbera from light, fresh and red fruited to full, concentrated and darker fruited. Even better, the tasting is free and the wines we’ll pour will be discounted the day of the tasting. Join us as we explore the wonderful world of Barbera this Friday at Table Wine. Below are the wines we’ll be sampling out:
1. 2010 Dacapo Barbera d’Asti “Sanbastian”
Classic Barbera here! Certified organic, certified “farmer juice”, this is medium bodied, fresh and uber clean, with an abundance of charming red fruit notes complimented by notes of wet dirt and forest floor. If you like simple, pleasing Red Burgundy, you should like this.
2. 2011 Fuso Barbera
Fuso is about as natural as a wine can get. It’s organic, it’s unfined, it’s unfiltered, it’s made with a wild yeast fermentation, it’s even Vegan friendly! From the Colli Tortonesi zone, just north of Asti, this is fresh and bright like wine #1, but it does have some slightly darker fruit notes. Think raspberry, plum and just a “juicy juice” character that will make this appealing to many.
3. 2011 Paitin Barbera d’Alba “Serra”
Stop smiling because we’re getting serious here……………just kidding. The Pasquero family entered the wine biz in 1796 and they’re going stronger than ever. This is their entry level Barbera, but there’s nothing entry level about it. Aged for 12 months in French barrique, this is dark, intense and absolutely impressive. Concentrated blueberry and blackberry fruit team up with exotic spice and vanilla notes in this sexy, seductive red wine.