An American in Barbera

Barbera d’Asti welcomes wine writers from around the world.

I’m thrilled to share the news that I will be traveling to Asti province this week for a series of tastings of Barbera.

You should consider that Barbera comes from Piedmont, one of Italy’s most liberal regions where “people” are known for their broad intellectual interests and cosmopolitan culture.

It was a disappointment to discover that apart from the My Name Is Barbera project, the English language internets are a barren landscape when it comes to solid information about Barbera.

Perceptions aside, Barbera has every right to its place among the world’s greatest fine wine grapes

But there’s another factor that goes into the longevity and age-ability of red wines: Acidity! And acidity is something that Barbera has a lot of.

I believe that this poem gives us yet another example of how Barbera is the true king of Piedmont wines. Or is it a queen?

A translation of Pascoli’s celebrated ode “A Ciapin”

When I set out to write this post, the working title was “Is Barbera masculine or feminine?” But like so many instances of the best intentions, the subject quickly changed into something else much more significant in my view.

An early 16th century medical manual lists barberry lozenges as a commonly used cure.