June 2009, Little Venice Restaurant & Bar Newsletter.

Barbera

the Rodney Dangerfield of Italian Wine

Wow, this is a great wine. It would go great with chicken, veal and beef. Just like Rodney said, "I get no respect." Please enjoy this great wine.

Respect is rarely automatic, not always deserved and not taken lightly. Barbera has lacked respect in the wine world because it was said to be too acidic, too rustic, too coarse, lacking flavor and compromised too easily. Barbera's only apparent redeeming quality was its cheapness or more modestly put its value. Perhaps it has had a bad reputation because it is a primary Piedmont resident in Italy's northwest wine region, where the other two grape varietals, Nebbiolo and Dolcetto, overshadow the lowly Barbera in respect and admiration. It's grown in other Italian wine regions, in fact, after Sangiovese, Barbera is the second most planted grape in the boot-country, but there's no correlation with that fact and that people love and praise their Chiantis, their Brunellos, and their Barolos more. While Barbera has been sneered at, spat upon and spurned, bottles of it are commonly found as the table wine in Italian restaurants.

Without question, Barbera will probably never rise to the stature of Barolos or Brunellos, but winemakers are getting wiser in their approach to and handling of the grape. They are planting the vines in better sites, reducing yields and paying more attention to wine production. Longer aging in oak has proven effective to enhance Barbera's Spartan character, bring out flavor and build balance in structure.

For decades, Barbera has suffered under neglect and lack of attention, but the new style is bringing out the richness in the fruit that in turn balances the grape's inherent acidity. The result is a Barbera that many years ago would not be recognized. Ironically, in the Piedmont, Barolo gets the accolades but Barbera out plants the Nebbiolo grape by about fifteen times. Part of the reason might be attributed to Barbera's hardy knack to grow profusely in places other grapes whine and moan and then wither and die.

Barbera defined
Contrary to Barolo or Barbaresco, a Barbera wine is not a dark and sinister purple but a brighter ruby red. Also, Barbera has negligible tannins and does not age as well. It's probably a good idea to drink the wine when it's fairly young, say within four to six years of the vintage date. As it ages, the color will turn to garnet with brownish edges. Regarding its flavors, when expertly done, Barbera shows modes of black cherries, black berries, currants and plums.

Styles of Barbera
There are essentially two types or styles of Barbera, the pre- and post-wines. The pre-wine is made in the Tradizionale method before the accademico metodologia influenced how the wine is made. Like all Italian politics, there is always opposition. The pre-Barbera is simple in structure with spare fruit character that is accentuated with an sharp acidic tang. This is not a knock on the wine but rather an acknowledgment of its nature. The post-Barbera will exhibit more extracted fruit, density and an indication of oaky tannins to provide a counterweight to the fruit's natural acidity.

If you have questions or comments, or would like to share your wine interests with me, please e-mail me at Alberto's Wine talk.