Barbera d'Asti is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

red wine Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties. The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice from most purple gr ...

made from the

Barbera Barbera is a red Italian wine grape variety that, as of 2000, was the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy (after Sangiovese and Montepulciano). It produces good yields and is known for deep color, full body, low tannins and high level ...

grape. It is produced in the hilly areas of the provinces of

Asti Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a '' comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deeme ...

(67

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

) and

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

(51 municipalities). Barbera d'Asti was accredited with DOC status in 1970, and

DOCG The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”), * ''Indicazione geografica tip ...

status followed in 2008. Under the DOCG rules, a minimum of 90% Barbera grapes must be used; the balance may be made up with either

Freisa Freisa is a red Italian wine grape variety grown in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy, primarily in Monferrato and in the Langhe, but also further north in the provinces of Turin and Biella. Freisa is a vigorous and productive vine whose rou ...

, Grignolino or

Dolcetto Dolcetto ( , , ) is a black Italian wine grape variety widely grown in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. The Italian word ''dolcetto'' means "little sweet one", but it is not certain that the name originally carried any reference to t ...

grapes. The wine must be made before the date of 1 March immediately following the harvest, and must reach an alcohol content of 11.5%. Since 2000, it has been possible to produce ''Barbera d'Asti Superiore'', for which the wine must have an alcoholic strength of at least 12.5% by volume, and be aged for at least 14 months, 6 months of which stored in oak or chestnut

barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, ...

s. Many ''superiore'' producers refine it in small oak

barrique Oak is used in winemaking to vary the color, flavor, tannin profile and texture of wine. It can be introduced in the form of a barrel during the fermentation or aging periods, or as free-floating chips or staves added to wine fermented in a vess ...

s to obtain a rounder taste. The ''superiore'' has the following sub-zones indicated on the label: ''Nizza'', ''Tinella'', or ''Colli Astiani'' (''Asti''). The ''superiore'' wine has a strong additional

aging potential The aging of wine is potentially able to improve the quality of wine. This distinguishes wine from most other consumable goods. While wine is perishable and capable of deteriorating, complex chemical reactions involving a wine's sugars, acids and ...

; it can often be aged from ten to twenty years. The Nizza DOCG was added to Asti's Barbera portfolio in 2014. The Nizza production rules require the use of 100% Barbera grapes, a maximum yield of 7 tonnes per hectare, and minimum aging of 18 months, of which 6 months must be in oak barrels. The minimum alcoholic strength is 13%, or 13.5% if produced by a single, named vineyard.PDF
Nizza DOCG Regulations, Consorzio Tutela Vini d'Asti e Monferrato, 29 October 2012

History

The Barbera grape is believed to have originated in the hills of

Montferrat Montferrat (, ; it, Monferrato ; pms, Monfrà , locally ; la, Mons Ferratus) is part of the region of Piedmont in northern Italy. It comprises roughly (and its extent has varied over time) the modern provinces of Province of Alessandria, ...

in central

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and is known from the thirteenth century. The first written proof of vinification is stored in the city hall of

Nizza Monferrato Nizza Monferrato (''Nissa dla Paja'' in Piedmontese) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about southeast of Asti. Nizza Monferrato borders the followin ...

and dates back to the seventeenth century. The wine enters officially in the role of Piedmontese wines in 1798, the date of the first

Ampelography Ampelography ( ἄμπελος, "vine" + γράφος, "writing") is the field of botany concerned with the identification and classification of grapevines, ''Vitis'' spp. Traditionally this has been done by comparing the shape and colour of the ...

made by Giuseppe Nuvolone-Pergamo, count of Scandaluzza from the

Accademia di Agricoltura di Torino The Accademia di Agricoltura di Torino (academy of agriculture) of Turin was founded as the Società Agraria di Torino on 24 May 1785, by edict of Victor Amadeus III, King of Sardinia The following is a list of rulers of Sardinia, in particular ...

(Agricultural Society of

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

). Barbera spread rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries, and is today considered to be Piedmont's principal red grape variety.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, n.169, 2008Homepage of the consortium regulating Barbera d'Asti and Monferrato wines production
Italian DOCG Wines of Piedmont Province of Asti Province of Alessandria Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato

History

See also

References

External links