Barbera

The Barbera grape is one of the cornerstones of the Piedmont. It lends its name to three cultivation areas: Barbera d’Asti, Barbera d’Alba and Barbera di Monferrato. There are fierce rivalries. Thus the vintners of Asti assert that their Barbera is better than those from Alba, because the best sites in Alba are reserved for Barolo and Barberesco. The truth is, there are all kinds of Barbera: young and fruity, ripe and complex, simple or sophisticated. The best representatives are ruby red with pure, sweet cherry fruit, soft body and fresh acidity. They are fantastic culinary companions: there is scarcely any Italian dish with which they do not fit. The variety is well-distributed, thanks to the Italian emigrants in California.