| Wine region | |
| Type | DOCG |
|---|---|
| Year established | 08/07/2008 |
| Years of wine industry | from 1798 |
| Country | Italy |
| Sub-regions | Montferrato,Asti,Nizza |
| Climate region | warm |
Barbera d'Asti is anItalianred wine made from theBarbera grape. It is produced in the hilly areas of the provinces ofAsti (67municipalities) andAlexandria (51 municipalities). Barbera d'Asti was accredited with DOC status in 1970, andDOCG status followed in 2008.[1]
Under the DOCG rules, a minimum of 90% Barbera grapes must be used; the balance may be made up with eitherFreisa,Grignolino orDolcetto grapes.
The wine must be made before the date of 1 March immediately following the harvest, and must reach a minimum alcohol content of 11.5% ABV.Barbera d'Asti Superiore 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 inoak or chestnutbarrels. Manysuperiore producers refine it in small oakbarriques to obtain a rounder taste. Thesuperiore has the following sub-zones indicated on the label:Nizza,Tinella, orColli Astiani (Asti).
Thesuperiore wine has a strong additionalaging potential; it can often be aged from ten to twenty years.
TheNizza 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.[2]
The Barbera grape is believed to have originated in the hills ofMontferrat in centralPiedmont,Italy and is known from the thirteenth century. The first written proof of vinification is stored in the city hall ofNizza Monferrato and dates back to the seventeenth century. The wine enters officially in the role of Piedmontese wines in 1798, the date of the firstAmpelography made by Giuseppe Nuvolone-Pergamo, count of Scandaluzza from theAccademia di Agricoltura di Torino (Agricultural Society ofTurin).
Barbera spread rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries, and is today considered to be Piedmont's principal red grape variety.