BARBERA

Barbera is a red wine grape variety that is planted extensively in the Italian wine regions of Piedmont and south-west Lombardy. The majority of wine produced is sold simply as Barbera del Piemonte, but the best wines are the DOCs, Barbera d'Alba and Barbera d'Asti.

The wines are usually ruby red in colour with notably low levels of tannins and can range in style from light and tart thin examples through to powerful, intensely flavoured wines that require extended cellaring.