THE CINDERELLA OF PIEDMONT

The life of a vine is never stagnant. It goes through stages. A vine is born, it’s nurtured like a child, in its “green years”, then goes through adolescence before finally becoming a responsible adult. It grows old, hopefully, gracefully, and dies exhausted and worn out. It shuts down if it’s not comfortable but flourishes when loved. Sometimes it’s a king and sometimes Cinderella.

It’s not a king, well… not yet (or a queen, as the locals would have liked), but Barbera is no longer a step-daughter, poor and despised. Although officially mentioned only in the 17th century, it’s been grown in Piedmont, Italy, since time immemorial. This uncomplicated wine has been quaffed by the locals for aeons but not many outsiders have bothered to notice its modest charms. It used to be acidic, harsh and unclean, albeit very cheap. But the times have changed for outsiders and producers alike. Barbera slowly and surely is creeping into our lives. Now it is one of the top red wine grapes in Piedmont, and… you guessed it, it’s no longer cheap. There are two appellations for this variety in Piedmont: Barbera d’Asti DOC (made in Asti) and Barbera d’Alba DOC (made in Alba). Barbera wines are produced in two styles: to be consumed young and an oaked version which requires ageing.

Low tannic with high but well-balanced acidity and light body, it displays ripe cherry and harmonious oak on the nose; the finish is smooth with pleasant and long sour cherry flavours on the palate. Quaffing and moreish, it goes well with red-sauce pasta, antipasti, risottos and many other dishes.

2004 Barbera d’Asti DOC, De Forville, Piedmont, Italy – 13.5%

(Majestic – £9.39)

Try also Oddbins for Barbera d’Asti Il Monello, Cantina Braida (£7.99) produced in a limited quantity by the company. Il Monello is a sibling of La Monella, also made from the Barbera grape. Cantina Braida is one of the original and best producers of Barbera wines and famous for its quintessential, top quality wines Barbera d’Asti Ai Suma and Barbera d'Asti Bricco dell’Uccellone. Sadly, Il Monello failed to leave a lasting impression on this occasion.

And just a few words on Chianti. Can you really go wrong with it? You can if you rely solely on your own logic, which tells you, commercial as it is, Castello BANFI is your safe option: big name, clean and modern facilities. Well…

BANFI is proud to say that Chianti possesses a “unique personality”. The personality of the Chianti we had was a bit disorientated, poorly structured and seemingly unbalanced – not a wine you’d like to make friends with. Worse still, priced at £8.49, it’s hardly good value for money.

2004 Chianti Classico DOCG, BANFI, Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 12.5%
(Majestic -£8.49)