Barbera Wine in California

While Barbera is originally from Italy, it was brought to California by Italian immigrants in the 19th century.

Much of it was originally grown in California’s Central Valley where it has been widely used as a blend component in mass-produced jug wines.

Word has it that Barbera was a personal favorite of Ernest and Julio Gallo. Their vineyards, planted in the early 1970s, are said to still be producing Barbera. Barbera is believed to be a component in Ernest and Julio Gallo’s Hearty Burgundy and the Italian Swiss Colony Winery has also reportedly used it successfully for several of their table wines.

Today, Barbera is being produced in many of the finer wine regions of California and seems especially well suited for Northern California’s El Dorado and Amador Counties.

I’m constantly on the lookout for Barbara. It’s difficult to find and still somewhat of a wine that doesn’t get the respect that it deserves. So, if you are lucky enough to find a bottle of California Barbera, give it a try. And, it’s no surprise that it pairs very well with hearty Italian foods. Cheers!

Barbera Wine in Italy

Last time we began looking at Barbera, a wine that in Italy has traditionally been produced as an inexpensive table wine to be enjoyed regularly with meals. It’s not been hailed as a great wine - there are other Italian wines that get that spotlight.

Barbera is thought to have originated in the hills of central Piemonte (“peh-ah-MON-tey”) Italy, where it has been known from the 13th century. That’s significantly earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon that has only been around since the 17th century.

Barbera is an early-ripening grape that, in Italy, is commonly grown on the cooler lower slopes below the more highly prized Nebbiolo grapes, and in other secondary locations. The best known Barbera is from the DOCG (the highest classification for Italian wines) of Barbera d'Asti. You’ll also find ‘Barbera d'Alba’ DOC (the main tier of Italian wine classification) and Barbera del Monferrato DOC, which tends to be somewhat sparkling (frizzante) and is rarely exported.

It wasn’t until the 1980s that the quality of Barbera began to significantly improve in Italy. It started being planted in better sites, yields were limited for quality as opposed to quantity and more attention was given to aging in better barrels. This took Barbera from a common light-bodied wine to something more special with greater flavor and character.

Barbera wines are best known for flavors of sour cherry, blackberry, herbs and black pepper with light tannins and high acidity.

The lightest versions of Barbera are generally not recommended for cellaring. I’ve learned this the hard way having previously opened three ‘prized’ bottles of Barbera on one special night and finding that all three, which had been stored properly in my wine fridge for approximately five years, had gone bad.

So, there’s a quick review of Barbera from Italy. Next time we’ll take a look at how Barbera came to California and its history here. Until then, Cheers!

Are You Familiar with Barbera Wine?

My “Ah ha” moment with wine involved a Berbera. “A what?” I asked. I’d never heard of it and really, really liked it.

Barbera (Bar-BEAR-ah) is a grape that is grown throughout Italy, especially in the Piedmont region. It is Italy’s third most grown grape behind Sangiovese (most notably known as the grape in Chianti) and Nebbiolo. In Italy, it’s known to produce inexpensive table wine that is enjoyed regularly with meals.

It’s also grown on a significantly smaller scale in California. Much of it is grown in the Central Valley where it is widely used as a blend component in mass-produced jug wines. This is because Barbera is a very vigorous grape variety that can produce high yields. But, it is truly being produced into fine wines in Northern California’s El Dorado and Amador Counties as well as a couple other smaller wine producing regions.

Like so many wines, Barbera can be different depending on where it is grown and how the winemaker treats it. Barbera is typically a medium-bodied wine with lighter tannins and higher acidity. It is usually enjoyed young (two to four years after harvest).

Next time I’ll get into more detail on this amazing grape and how different it can be. Until then, Cheers!

Wine Facts: Are You Familiar with Zibibbo?

While perusing the wine list at a casual restaurant, a friend of mine recently asked “Have you heard of Zibibbo?” I had to reply that I didn’t but promised to look into it.

It turns out that Zibibbo is a white wine grape varietal used to produce both sweet and dry wines, most notably on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria.

The varietal is also known as Muscat of Alexandria, and has similar aromatics to that of Muscat.

To produce the sweet version of this wine, the grapes are usually left on the vine until they partially ferment in the hot sun and start to raisin. Hence the name Zibibbo that is derived from the Arabic word zabib that means "raisins".

The popularity of sweet and fortified wines around the world has declined with time as winemaking techniques and consumer preference have moved towards dry wines. This has led to the appearance of dry wines (both still and sparkling) made from Zibibbo. The dry version of Zibibbo is a bright, golden yellow color. It can have flavors of orange, ripe pineapple and peaches with some hints of saline.

The sweet dessert wines have aromas of almond and apricot, while the taste is sweet, aromatic and with a typical almond aftertaste. The alcohol content of these wines often a minimum of 10 ABV and is typically served cold.

As for pairings, as well as being used as an aperitif, the dry version of Zibibbo works well with fish and shellfish, as well as bold cheeses. However, as you might expect, the sweet wine it a nice match with desserts, especially traditional Sicilian Cannoli, Cassata, and pastries filled with almond paste, as well as pistachio-based desserts and ice cream.

While most notably grow in Sicily, it is also grown in California, but is most often used as a blending variety.

So, there you have it. I’m certainly going to keep my eye out for this wine. And, maybe you should too. Cheers!