As the third most-planted red grape in Italy (after Sangiovese and Montepulciano), Barbera is used in a range of wines from medium bodied, fruity styles to more intense examples intended for longer term cellaring. Some characteristics are consistent across most styles, and a deep ruby colour along with high levels of acid and tannin make it a valued blending grape. Aged vines produce intense wines that handle long cellaring.
The juice is deeply coloured, with, a fruity, floral nose and a distinctive palate. Excessive yields diminish quality and accentuate the acidity. Grown in temperate areas and cropped for quality, Barbera exhibits attractive aromas of red fruit, currants or blackberries that can be enhanced by vanilla, smoky or toasty notes added by barrel aging.
Barbera is vigorous, resists most fungal diseases, can adapt to a range of soils (sandy soils help limit yields) though the grape rarely thrives in alkaline or saline soils. Vines produce compact bunches of late ripening berries with soft skins, ripening around the same time as Shiraz and Merlot, and earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo, so it should be suited to many Australian wine regions.
Like many varieties, Barbera has clonal variations and a white mutation known as Barbera Bianca has also been identified.
Winemakers often deal with Barbera’s tannin and acidity by blending with varieties lacking those characteristics to create a softer, more balanced wine. In the 1970s, producers started to use toasted oak barrels to add spice flavours and limited oxygenation to the wine. Oak imparts wood tannins which give structure without adding as much astringency as tannins from the grape. Barrel matured styles tend to be rounder, with more plum and spice notes. Wines made with older oak tend to have vibrant aromas and cherry notes.
High-yield Barbera produces a soft style with high acidity that makes it ideal for rich dishes but styles from low-yielding vines matured in small oak casks can develop into concentrated, rich, plummy wine with undertones of sweet vanilla and spice that are likely to age well.
Barbera is believed to have originated in Piedmont, although it has been suggested that it came from Lombardy and DNA evidence suggests Barbera may be related to Mourvedre.
In Italy, Barbera is mostly found in Piedmont, but is also grown in Central and Southern Italy. The best Barberas come from the hills around Alba and Asti, where old growth vines produce long-lasting, robust wines with intense fruit and enhanced tannins. Barbera d'Asti tend to be brightly coloured and elegant while Barbera d'Alba have a deeper colour with more intense, powerful fruit.
Barbera likes the same conditions as Nebbiolo, but is grown on slopes below the Nebbiolo, allowing winemakers to give the best sites to Nebbiolo and produce wine that can be consumed while the Nebbiolo matures. Harvesting usually takes place two weeks after Dolcetto, but winemakers have been experimenting with harvesting Barbera at higher sugar levels to produce heavier, fruit forward wines.
A 1985 scandal in which producers were caught adding methanol to their wines brought a decline in Barbera sales, and Montepulciano took its place as Italy's second most widely planted red variety in the late 1990s.
Outside Piedmont Barbera is produced in Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Sardinia and Sicily and there are plantings in Greece, Dalmatia, Romania, and Slovenia, Israel, and South Africa’s Malmesbury and Paarl. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Italian immigrants took Barbera to California and Argentina and it is also grown in Brazil and Uruguay. In these areas Barbera is used in blends, since the acidity brings freshness to other varieties. In California, Barbera is used as a component in bulk wines, though the trend towards Italian grapes has winemakers looking into producing quality varietal Barbera.
Barbera came to Australia by way of the University of California, Davis in the 1960s and has been grown for years around Mudgee, with later plantings in the King Valley and the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria and McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills in South Australia. Brown Brothers have a number of vineyards throughout Victoria, but grow Barbera at Heathcote. It seems Barbera gets better results in Australia than Nebbiolo.
Varietal Barbera can be food friendly wines because its low tannins do not overpower flavours while the acidity complements many dishes. High levels of acid (unusual for a warm climate red grape) make it an ideal match for tomato-based pasta dishes.