Barbera: Back to Winemaking – Back to Grapes – Back to Countries
Top thirteen grapes:
Reds – Cabernet Franc – Cabernet Sauvignon – Malbec – Merlot –
Whites – Chardonnay – Gewürztraminer – Muscat –
Pinot blanc – Pinot gris – Riesling – Sauvignon blanc
Next twenty-five grapes:
Reds – Barbera – Carignan – Gamay – Grenache – Mourvèdre – Petit Verdot –
Sangiovese – Tannat – Tempranillo – Touriga Nacional – Zweigelt
Whites – Albariño – Aligoté – Arinto – Chenin blanc – Malvasia –
Müller-Thurgau – Muscat-Ottonel – Rhein-Riesling – Sémillon –
Tămâioasă Românească – Traminer – Ugni-blanc – Viognier – Welschriesling
– and Cava
| Barbera: Originally an Italian wine grape variety, that has been the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy – after Sangiovese and Montepulciano. It is considered to be a lesser grape than Nebbiolo, considered to be the wine of the people – ie cheaper! Some suggest Barbera’s name came from the Italian word barba, meaning beard, referring to the grapes’ hairy skins. In 1985, Barbera producers illegally adding methanol to their wines, killing eight and harming over thirty, causing some to lose their sight. The bad publicity saw Barbera sales and plantings declineAs a result it was eclipsed by the Montepulciano grape as Italy’s second most widely-planted red grape variety in the late 1990s. It’s a very old variety dating back to the 7th c. the Casale Monferrato cathedral of Piedmont documents, dated from between 1246 and 1277, that detail agreements of vineyard lands planted with de bonis vitibus barbexinis, or Barbera as it was known then. However, most ampelographers suggest that nothing can be said definitively about its age or origin. In the 19th c and 20th c, waves of Italian immigrants brought Barbera to the Americas where the vine took root in California and Argentina among other places.  Image source: foodandwine.com The best-known appellation is DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) Barbera d’Asti in the Piedmont region. The Nizza DOCG wines are produced within a sub-zone of the Barbera d’Asti production area and are considered to be of the finest quality.. |
 Image: winalist.com Taste/smell: Blackberry, dark cherry, plum and strawberry – with tones of anise, black pepper, dried leaves, incense, lavender, nutmeg, vanilla and violet. Varieties/Mutations: Parent of Ervi (crossed with Croatina), Incrocio Terezi I (with Cabernet Franc), Nigra (with Merlot) and Prodest (also with Merlot). There are no certified clones. DNA analysis shows that Piedmont’s Barbera bianca is its own distinct variety. Vine: It is a vigourous vine and can produce high yields if it is not well managed. It is best to prune it long, with a sufficient trellis as its shoots are long. | Description: Recent DNA evidence suggest that Barbera may be related to the French-Spanish vine Mourvèdre.  Image source: plantgrape.fr DNA research shows that Barbera grapes are the offspring of the Italian grape Coccalona Nera (Orsolina). Young shoots have a high density of prostrate hairs – adult leaves have five or seven lobes. It produces ellipsoid berries in bunches that are medium in size and compact.  Image source: plantgrape.fr |
| Barbera producing countries: Big Five Producers: (overall 42% of vineyards, 64% of wine production and 41% of wine consumption – OIV 2022) Spain: not found France: not found Italy: Aosta, Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, Piedmont, Puglia, Sardinia USA: California, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington Chile: some Next Ten Largest Producers: (with big five, responsible overall for 75% of vineyards, 88% of wine production, 64% of wine consumption – OIV 2022) Argentina: Mendoza, San Juan Australia: New South Wales (Auckland), Victoria China: Ningxia and Shandong. Germany: some India: not found New Zealand: Hastings, Hawke’s Bay and Waiheke Island Portugal: not found Romania: some South Africa: Malmesbury, Wellington and Paarl. Turkey: some Others countries growing Barbera Brazil, Israel, Peru, Slovenia (Primorska), Urugu | Grape is also known as: Barbare, Barbera a Peduncolo, Barbera a Raspo, Barbera Amaro, Barbera Crna, Barbera d’Alba, Barbera d’Aosta, Barbera d’Asti, Barbera del Monferrato, Barbera Forte, Barbera Mercantile, Barbera Nera, Barbera Nostrana, Barbera Riccia, Barbera Rissa, Barbera Rosa, Barbera Vera, Barberone, Barbexinis, Besgano, Cosses Barbusen, Gaietto, Lombardesca, Perricone, Pignatello and Ughetta. |
Ferranto Image source: winefolly.com
Barbera: Back to Winemaking – Back to Grapes – Back to Countries
Top thirteen grapes:
Reds – Cabernet Franc – Cabernet Sauvignon – Malbec – Merlot –
Whites – Chardonnay – Gewürztraminer – Muscat –
Pinot blanc – Pinot gris – Riesling – Sauvignon blanc
Next twenty-five grapes:
Reds – Barbera – Carignan – Gamay – Grenache – Mourvèdre – Petit Verdot –
Sangiovese – Tannat – Tempranillo – Touriga Nacional – Zweigelt
Whites – Albariño – Aligoté – Arinto – Chenin blanc – Malvasia –
Müller-Thurgau – Muscat-Ottonel – Rhein-Riesling – Sémillon –
Tămâioasă Românească – Traminer – Ugni-blanc – Viognier – Welschriesling
– and Cava
