Barbera is a wine grape variety broadly planted in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy, it’s one of the top wine values that you should be searching out. The wines have never been better, and they have good international availability. All of the wines are from the readily available 2021, but the content of this wine video will broadly apply to most vintages.
In this video, Bob Paulinski, Master of Wine will talk about and taste three classic wines from Piedmont. The three Italian wines tasted in this video were all purchased from Total Wine & More, but they can be found at other wine retailers, including on the international market. The fourth is included from the Sierra Foothills of California. It is available in some US markets, I picked the wine up at a Costco on the west coast (northern California).
Wine 1
2021 Abbona Barbera dell Monferrato, approximate price $20
Wine 2 Vietti Barbera d’Asti Trevigne, approximate price $18
Wine 3 Elvio Cogna Barbera d’Alba, approximate price $38
Wine 4 Myka Cellars Barbera Sierra Foothills, California, approximate price $20, although I did see it at two northern California Costcos for $12.49
Chapters:
0:00 – 01:18 Intro
1:19 – 2:17 Barbera Overview
2:18 – 3:38 Wine Styles
3:39 – 5:44 Wine 1
5:45 – 8:22 Wine 2
8:23 – 10:06 Wine 3
10:07 – 11:19 Wine 4
11:20 – 12:00 Conclusion
#winetasting #wineculture #winelife #mwlife #Italianwine #Italy #piedmont #barbera #redwine #winetime #winelovers #costco #totalwine #sierrafoothills #wset #masterofwine #bobpaulinski #goodwine #italianwine
26 Comments
Currently drinking Elvio Cogno’s Pre phylloxera barbera ‘18. Outstanding!
Appreciate the honest Bob! We all have our wine biases!?! 😂
Thanks Bob. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of Barbera. Since these are at Total Wine I would imagine that I don’t have to rush to buy a bottle as my wine fridge is full 😂
Interesting as always. Only one that seems to be available near me is the Vietti, but at twice the price sadly. Cheers!
Bob, thanks for your recommendations. Maybe you've already done it, but Id love to hear your views on how to taste wines. For instance, I'm not positive what some of your terms are -like structure, new oak.
Can’t wait to try these love Italian wines thanks Bob!
Barbera can be Fantastic.
And really crap. but picking from the better producers, yelds top wine's and super value.
this yer i have been drinking alot of it. and rosso di Montalcino.
All my other wine are in the cellar / cooler…😄
I’m in your bias camp. Every time I see a new Vietti I get some, I know this isn’t a Vietti video but I love their range, from the Nebbiolo to Dolcetto to Moscato to Arnies to the Freisa Vivace to the Chinato. Have you had much Barbera from Australia? Nice video!!
Thanks so much for the excellent reviews and perspective on Barbera. You're in good company with your love for Barbera: Matt Kramer says it's his favorite Piedmont wine in his wonderful cookbook "A Passion for Piedmont."
I certainly cant say that you’re wrong! Still, my favorite Italian values over the last few years have been aglianico del vulture. Also i recently had a barber a from Unti, in the DCV, that was delicious
I had one Barbera of note, the 2019 Cascina La Zerba di Volpedo you briefly panned across, and it was very pleasant and red-fruited.
The Vietti sounds more up my alley in terms of the darker fruit profile!
Love Vietti! I also look for Dolcetto d'Alba Thanks for tasting Italian wines
I agree with you about Vietti wines. They are exceptional. I once met the owner who has since passed away , at a local restaurant wine tasting.
Barbera in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
🙂
Well done. I'll go look for them at TW.
Great review, Barbera is indeed excellent value for money, and you can drink it early, unlike Barbaresco or Barolo. It is also super versatile with food, I think it goes well with tomato based food as you say, but also white meat. I tend to compare it to Cabernet Franc, another relatively light, fruity wine with low tanin. It can even be considered as an alternative to Pinot Noir. In terms of value for money, one can also compare it with a Langhe Nebiolo, which is a very different wine, but from the same region and roughly similar pricing.
love barbera ! (also love barolo, baby barolo, barbaresco [produttori!], chianti, chianti rufina, chianti classico and some wines of the vesuvio region ;))
😊
on a recommendation from a TW employee, i bought the Vietti and took it to a party where it was a smash hit.
thanks for bringing it to the YT crowd. i hope everyone watching gets a chance to try this beauty.
Great video Bob! I was actually enjoying a glass of Vietti Barbera while I watched it. Here in the motor city, our TW has it for around $16. I think it's worth every penny. Please keep the video's and quizzes coming, I learn a lot from them!
just had a really lovely bottle of barbera aged in clay vessel from Ningxia,, China
Always a good choice in an Italian restaurant with an arrabiata pasta. Cannonau might be one to review too Bob?
Great timing! I'm on the hunt for a fragrant Barbera that I can afford a dozen of, for some certain event that'll be taking place next year! 💍👀
Hi Bob! I just subscribed to your channel. To me Barbera and a good pizza goes hand in hand! Thanks for the info.
Great video! I've had the privilege to taste Giuseppe Rinaldi's Barbera and it was amazing, he truly is an artist
Great video Bob! I too have a huge bias for VIETTI wines! Recently at our monthly wine tasting group called THE WINEOS, it was Barbera night. Of the seven members who attended, four of them brought the same bottle, and it was VIETTI! That had never happened before! This is a stellar wine at a bargain price. I should have used it in my YouTube channel video, What wines to pair with wild game! This is a Rock Star vineyard and I only wish I could afford a couple of cases of their Barolo!