Dark, ruby purple, with a full aroma of cherry, blackberry and spicy herbs, with juicy acidity and mild tannins on the palate; this is the taste of Barbera, the most widely cultivated red grape variety in Piedmont.
Many people may still know that Sangiovese is the most widely cultivated red grape variety in Italy. But which one comes next? That's right, Barbera! The variety has its centre in southern Piedmont. The hills around the towns of Asti, Nizza Monferrato and Alessandria are deepest Barbera country.
Barbera has three DOCG designations here: Barbera d'Asti Superiore, Barbera del Monferrato Superiore and simply Nizza – named after a river that meanders through the landscape near Nizza Monferrato. A Nizza DOCG is considered the highest expression of Barbera. In total, there are 18 municipalities around the main town of Nizza Monferrato where this wine may be produced. The maximum permissible yield was consistently limited to 7 tons per hectare, and to 6.3 tons per hectare in the case of a Nizza with vineyard designation.
Of course, Barbara is also grown further south, in the Langhe around Alba. There, however, the variety clearly only plays second fiddle to Nebbiolo. Around Asti and Nizza, on the other hand, Barbera is the top wine. We have therefore concentrated on Nizza DOCG and Barbera d'Asti Superiore DOCG in our Trophy.
Michele Chiarlo at first, and later his son Stefano, were strong advocates of Nizza DOCG from the very beginning. The La Court Nizza Riserva DOCG 2019 has everything you would expect from a great Barbera, a great wine: fullness and juiciness, but also finesse and elegance. This wine is therefore quite rightly the winner of our Barbara Trophy 2024.
Castelnuovo Don Bosco is located in the very east of the growing region, almost at the gates of Turin. Cascina Gilli, run by Gianni Vergnano and his son Paolo, is located here. The focus is entirely on indigenous varieties. In addition to Barbera, Freisa, Malvasia di Schierano, Bonarda and some Nebbiolo are grown here. The Barbera D'Asti Dedica from Cascina Gilli took second place in our Trophy.
In third place is La Lippa from La Gironda, a small but fine winery in Nizza Monferrato. Bravo!
The variety
Barbera is characterised by crisp cherry fruit, blackberry and a spicy component reminiscent of pepper. It has present acidity, which gives the wine great freshness and flow, but at the same time little tannin. Many producers therefore like to put Barbera in small wooden barrels. If this is done skillfully and carefully, it can be excellent. But it can also go badly wrong and then only wood remains.
The area
In southern Piedmont around Asti, Nizza Monferrato and Alessandria, Barbera forms three DOCG areas: Barbera d'Asti Superiore, Barbera del Monferrato Superiore and Nizza, which is also available as a Riserva.
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