It makes a lot of sense to follow a blog on Zinfandel and its importance to the Gold Country with the other stalwart grape of the Sierra appelations which is Barbera. Barbera is a complementary varietal to the venerable Zinfandel of the wines of California’s interior. UC Davis said Barbera would do well in California’s central valleys. It has since also been planted quite a bit in Sonoma, Amador and El Dorado Counties, and provides many wineries the potential to leverage this versatile varietal. So there are lots to choose from.
Why the title of this blog, well because it can get confusing. Italy is the world’s most diverse wine country on the planet. It is said, that over 1 million unique vineyards exist in Italy, and they are the largest producing Country in the world just barely beating out the other two stalwarts of Europe which are Spain and France. Italy is a powerhouse in wine, and yes Barolo which is made from the Nebbiola grape varietal is not Barbera. So a small joke on the world of Italian wines, because it is so deep and complex. Cheers to Italy, they have been doing it for centuries.
Barbera in the foothill wine regions is usually made as Zinfandel is, trying to be a fruit forward, heavy wine and I am not sure that is where it is most diverse and exemplary of its characteristics. As Paul Bush from Madrona and Rucksack wineries explains how Barbera is very acid forward when the grapes are picked a bit earlier and Paul blends two distinct pickings to determine a better balance for his Barbera. I do love the Rucksack Cellars Barbera I think it is a classic Barbera for our area but there are of course many others to try. I prefer a Barbera that is structured with enough acidity and tannins (structure), to give it a long mellow finish, quite different, than California Zinfandel. Generally speaking, Zinfandel will be more tannic, and Barbera will be more acidic, but overall structure is the key.
Another foothills choice for Barbera would be a famous Barbera producer from a historical perspective and this is the Boeger Winery who is also the pioneering winery of El Dorado County in the modern era. Boeger produces lots of varietals, but they maintain Barbera as one long standing flagship varietal. Boeger Barbera should be an easy find if you are local within the region.
Finally I want to mention one more winery, Fiddletown Cellars, who also takes Barbera very seriously. This wine is true to Barbera trying to leverage the acid and smooth tannins in a way that produces a lot of fruit flavors, and still a mellow finish. Another favorite of mine is the Bella Grace Barbera, the organically grown Barbera fruit at Bella Grace is top end. Other players in the Steiner Road group do well with Barbera, right alongside all the Zinfandel that comes from this small area of Amador County.
Like Paul at Rucksack says you must drink Barbera with food. The high acids especially common in Italian Barbera’s you can purchase are designed to cut through starch foods, such as pasta, bread and potatoes. So it is a perfect compliment to some appetizers that may provide starch and this is a good starting way to pair this varietal. Maybe with some crackers and cheese as an introduction.
Finally if you are going to go deep on Barbera I think it is a must to leverage an online wine store that brings in a good number of Italian Barbera’s so you can try the different more acidic nature of the Italian Barbera to see how that suits you. Italian Barbera’s go deep and wide. A great place to start is Astor Wines. Ones thing I love about Astor is they will send you a PDF of their wine buyer’s team tasting notes for every wine you buy from them. Astor also has wine sales just on Italian wines, so they will give you the chance to really explore the Italian depth on this varietal (or others from vast Italy).
Enjoy any well crafted Barbera at your next Italian pasta meal just to see if you like that acid with your spaghetti, and remember to drink a few choices, as the varietal can be very diverse, especially when you dive into ‘deep’ Italy.