Barbera Wine

Expert Review — Vintage 2024

Jeb Dunnuck — 90 Points
"A bright ruby/magenta color, the 2024 Barbera d’Alba is spicy and lifted on the nose with notes of pepper, fresh herbs, and bright red fruit. The palate is zesty and lively, with electric energy, refreshing focused acidity, and a compact linear feel. This is not a Barbera for volume of richness — it’s about the crunchy, bright fruit, and it will be best enjoyed while it retains its lively nerve. Drink over the next several years."

Winemaker Notes

G.D. Vajra’s Barbera d’Alba comes from a wonderful range of estate vineyards in Piedmont. Fermented for an average of 20 days and aged no less than twelve months in respect of the rhythm of nature, it is a fine blend — charming, rich yet forward.

The 2024 vintage exhibits a brilliant purple hue. On the nose, a celebration of freshness: red berry juice, roses, and fresh plums. The palate is crisp and juicy, layering sweet red and black cherries, spices, and fresh dark berries into a vibrant, aromatic finish that defines the vintage.

Food Pairings

A natural companion for pasta with tomato-based sauces, wood-fired pizza, grilled sausages, roasted chicken, mushroom risotto, and aged Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve slightly chilled (60–65°F) to enhance its refreshing character.

Product Details

• Producer: G.D. Vajra
• Region: Barbera d’Alba DOC, Piedmont, Italy
• Grape: Barbera
• Vintage: 2024
• Style: Bright, zesty, fruit-forward Piedmont red
• Format: 750ml

La Spinetta Barbera d’Asti Superiore Ca’ di Pian Organic — Piedmont 2023

La Spinetta is one of Piedmont’s most celebrated estates, founded by Giorgio Rivetti in Castagnole delle Lanze. Rivetti is widely credited with modernizing Barbera d’Asti — bringing precision viticulture, organic farming, and meticulous cellar work to a variety long underestimated in the region. Ca’ di Pian, sourced from Castagnole delle Lanze and Costigliole d’Asti, is La Spinetta’s entry-level Barbera — yet it consistently punches well above its price, earning critical acclaim vintage after vintage. The estate farms entirely without synthetic pesticides or herbicides, expressing the purest possible fruit from its Piedmontese terroir.

The 2023 is soft, supple, and immediately captivating. A burst of blueberry, black cherry, morello cherry, spice, lavender, menthol, and chocolate gives the wine tremendous appeal and versatility. Fresh, fruit-forward, and beautifully balanced — an especially fine edition of this beloved cuvée.

“A terrific value… tons of immediacy and sheer appeal.” — Vinous, 90 Points

• Producer: La Spinetta, Castagnole delle Lanze, Piedmont, Italy
• Vintage: 2023
• Appellation: Barbera d’Asti Superiore DOC
• Vineyard: Ca’ di Pian (Castagnole delle Lanze & Costigliole d’Asti)
• Varietal: 100% Barbera
• Farming: Certified Organic
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Blueberry, black cherry, morello cherry, spice, lavender, menthol, chocolate
• Best Paired With: Cured meats, soft cheeses, Piedmontese agnolotti, roast veal, grilled meats, mushroom dishes

Giorgio Rivetti’s benchmark Barbera — organic, expressive, and one of Piedmont’s great values under $30.

Coppo · Barbera d'Asti DOCG · Camp du Rouss · 2023 · 750ml

The Producer

Founded in 1892 in Canelli, in the heart of Piedmont's Asti hills, Coppo is one of the region's historic family houses, famous for aging its wines in underground cellars carved into the hillside. Camp du Rouss is its signature take on Barbera: generous, polished and built for the table.

The Wine

Ripe, dark-skinned fruit, culinary spice and new leather lead the way, with a lift of menthol. The palate is firmly structured and chewy, offering dried Morello cherry, raspberry jam, licorice and espresso over fine-grained tannins, with Barbera's trademark fresh acidity keeping it lively.

Expert Review (2023 Vintage)

"Round and supple in texture, this fluid red boasts cherry, blackberry and plum flavors, with flashes of floral and chocolate notes. Warm spice accents inform the finish. Drink now through 2030."
Wine Spectator, 90 points

Pairings & Serving

Pasta and beans, risotto with porcini mushrooms, or chicken chasseur. Serve slightly cool, around 60–62°F.

Specs

• Producer: Coppo
• Wine: Camp du Rouss
• Appellation: Barbera d'Asti DOCG
• Region: Piedmont, Italy
• Vintage: 2023
• Varietal: 100% Barbera
• Size: 750ml

An easy weeknight hero with enough depth for the dinner party. Drink now through 2030.

Winemaker Description

A wonderfully food-friendly Barbera from one of our favorite producers in Piedmont. Ruby red and medium-bodied with light cherry fruit and great acidity. Lovingly made from organically grown grapes.

Tabaren (from the French “tabarin”) was a venue used for theatre plays, art, and dancing. We are all better dancers after a couple of glasses of wine.

About Icardi

Icardi is a family-run estate based in Castagnole Monferrato in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, farming organically across their vineyards in the Barbera d’Asti and Monferrato appellations. The Icardi family has long been committed to sustainable, organic viticulture — allowing the Barbera grape to express its natural vibrancy, bright acidity, and cherry-driven fruit without synthetic intervention. Their Tabaren bottling is a perennial favorite among sommeliers and wine lovers for its effortless drinkability, food versatility, and honest expression of Piedmontese Barbera at an accessible price.

Food Pairings

Pizza, pasta with tomato or meat sauce, grilled chicken, antipasto, salumi, mild cheeses, and vegetable dishes. One of the most versatile food wines in the cellar — equally at home with a weeknight dinner or a long Italian lunch.

Product Details

• Producer: Icardi
• Appellation: Barbera d’Asti DOC, Piedmont, Italy
• Grape: Barbera 100%
• Certification: Organic
• Vintage: 2024
• Style: Medium-bodied, bright, food-friendly Piedmont red
• Format: 750ml

Vietti · Barbera d’Asti Tre Vigne · DOC · Piedmont · Italy · 2024

Vietti is one of Piedmont’s most celebrated estates — a Barolo producer of the highest order whose commitment to quality extends all the way down to their Barbera. Tre Vigne (“Three Vineyards”) is Vietti’s Barbera d’Asti, sourced from three distinct sites in the appellation and crafted to showcase the grape’s most compelling qualities: bright, high-toned acidity, vivid red fruit, and the kind of food-friendly energy that makes it one of Piedmont’s most versatile and beloved reds. A wine that punches well above its price point, vintage after vintage. 

The 2024 Barbera has a bright ruby red color with luscious cherry and vanilla notes. Medium-bodied, dry wine with good acidity and soft tannins. Very well balanced, with good complexity and a red cherry finish. Quintessential Barbera: energetic, food-friendly, and endlessly drinkable.

• Producer: Vietti, Castiglione Falletto, Piedmont, Italy
• Vintage: 2024
• Appellation: Barbera d’Asti DOC
• Varietal: 100% Barbera
• Style: Dry red — bright acidity, vivid fruit, moderate tannins
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Red cherry, mineral, vanilla, spice, bright acidity, clean finish
• Pairings: Pasta with tomato sauce, lasagna, mushroom risotto, margherita pizza, roasted chicken, veal, grilled pork sausages, charcuterie, aged cheeses

· Barbera d’Asti DOC — Tre Vigne from one of Piedmont’s great estates. Bright, mineral, and built for the Italian table.

Pio Cesare Barbera d’Alba — Piedmont 2024

Pio Cesare is one of Piedmont’s most storied and respected producers, with over 140 years of winemaking history in Alba. Their Barbera d’Alba is a benchmark for the variety — a wine that balances the grape’s naturally exuberant acidity and fruit with genuine structure and complexity, drawn from carefully selected calcareous clay and alluvial vineyards in the Barolo zone. Fermented in stainless steel and aged for nearly 12 months in large French and Eastern European oak barrels, the 2024 is a classically built Barbera with real depth and excellent longevity.

The nose is assured and inviting: damson plum, violets, whole peppercorn, and freshly turned earth, with blackberry and ripe dark fruit underneath. On the palate, the wine is generous and full, with a live wire of characteristic Barbera acidity keeping the ripe blue and black fruit fresh and honest. It is approachable now, food-friendly across a wide range of cuisines, and built to age — a must-have from the Pio Cesare lineup.

“Few houses understand Barbera the way Pio Cesare does, and 140 years of practice show clearly in this glass. Damson plum, violets, whole peppercorn, and freshly turned earth set an assured and classic tone. The palate is generous, ripe blue and black fruits fresh and preserved, a live wire of acidity keeping everything honest. Barbera as it should be.” — Wine Enthusiast, 91 points. (Vintage 2024) 

• Producer: Pio Cesare, Alba, Piedmont, Italy
• Vintage: 2024
• Appellation: Barbera d’Alba DOC, Piedmont
• Varietal: 100% Barbera
• Aging: ~12 months in large French & Eastern European oak barrels
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Damson plum, violets, peppercorn, earth, blackberry, ripe dark fruit, vibrant acidity
• Best Paired With: Pasta bolognese, grilled meats, aged cheeses, pizza, braised short ribs

Piedmont’s benchmark Barbera — Pio Cesare delivers 140 years of expertise in every bottle, offering classic structure, vibrant acidity, and genuine aging potential at an exceptional value.

Warehouse stored item - please allow one to three business days to fulfill.

Deep red with purple tones in the beginning, changing to garnet red throughout its aging process. The bouquet brings out notes of berries, marmalade, violets, vanilla, fig and almonds, with slight smoky hues. Dry, elegant, harmonious and full-bodied with typical acidic notes during its juvenile stage. Becomes more round and complex over the years obtaining a soft finish.

Warehouse stored item - please allow three to five business days to fulfill.

Wine Characteristics: Variety: 100% Barbera. Winemaking: Aged for twelve months in French oak barrels. Color: Cherry red. Aroma: Red fruits with notes of tobacco and smoke. Palate: Straightforward attack, with an elegant and mature tannic structure, good acidity, and a velvety finish. Texture: Silky Production and Aging: Santo Tomás Barbera Red Wine is made from 100% Barbera grapes. Its twelve-month aging in French oak barrels gives it complexity and character.">

Aroma: Red fruits with notes of tobacco and smoke. Palate: Straightforward attack, with an elegant and mature tannic structure, good acidity, and a velvety finish. Texture: Silky Production and Aging: Santo Tomás Barbera Red Wine is made from 100% Barbera grapes. Its twelve-month aging in French oak barrels gives it complexity and character.

Fragrances of dark berries, violets, and earthy notes rise delicately from the glass. The vibrant and lively palate offers flavors of red cherries, crushed raspberries, and a subtle truffle undertone, complemented by refreshing acidity and smooth, refined tannins.

Winemaker Description 

Barbera, along with Nebbiolo and Dolcetto, is widely planted throughout Piemonte. Many Barolo and Barbaresco producers will also make a Barbera mainly because the aging requirement is far shorter allowing them to see a profit from the harvest earlier. In the commune of Nizza, the Barbera grape steps into the spotlight and takes center stage. This is where Barbera reaches its heights of glory.

The Frasca family has 22 hectares of vineyard in Nizza, with vines averaging 30 years of age. Their 2020 Barbera Nizza DOCG opens with an inviting bouquet of dark cherries, blackberries, and plums, intertwined with notes of violet, tobacco, and a hint of vanilla. On the palate, it is full-bodied and rich, showcasing intense flavors of ripe black fruits, licorice, and a touch of dark chocolate, balanced by firm tannins and vibrant acidity. The finish is long and complex, with lingering hints of fruit, spice, and subtle oak nuances.

Poderi Aldo Conterno · Barbera d'Alba · 2023

Conca Tre Pile brings together Barbera and the hillside vineyards of Bussia in Monforte d'Alba, Piedmont. The wine takes its name from a hilly area in Bussia Soprana, planted mainly to Barbera, with vines reaching a maximum age of 45 years.

Producer & Terroir

The Conterno family's winemaking story stretches back to the 19th century. After emigrating to Argentina and returning to Italy, Giovanni Conterno joined his father Giuseppe's small winemaking farm in Monforte d'Alba. Production grew, with wine sold in casks in Italy and as far away as America through a relative who had remained in Argentina. The family pursued a long-lived Barolo made only in the best vintages with extended vinification, bottling its first Barolo reserve in 1920.

Giovanni passed the business to his son Giacomo at the end of the 1930s. Giacomo developed the label throughout Italy by visiting clients personally, while his sons Giovanni and Aldo began working alongside him. In 1950, Aldo left for America, hoping to establish a vine-growing and winemaking business with an uncle in California. His five-year stay was formative, although he ultimately returned to the family business. Giacomo handed the thriving, nationally recognised business to his sons in 1961. After working alongside his brother, Aldo pursued his ambition to establish his own winery, purchasing the Favot estate and founding Poderi Aldo Conterno in 1969. His three sons, Franco, Stefano and Giacomo, carry on the family tradition.

Vineyard & Winemaking

The Conca Tre Pile vineyard lies in Bussia, Monforte d'Alba. Grapes are harvested by hand, with selection in the vineyard; the producer's harvest timing is the first week of October. Red-wine vinification takes place in stainless-steel vats, with approximately 8–10 days of skin contact at 24–26°C. After a few months in stainless steel, the wine spends a further few months in oak casks.

Expert Review

Wine Spectator, 91 Points · Vintage 2023
"Plum, blackberry, tamarind an black pepper flavors highlight this intense red. It's firmly structured, including some dusty tannins, remaining balanced and long."

Pairing Suggestions

Try this Barbera with tomato-based pasta, mushroom dishes or roasted meats.

Details

• Producer: Poderi Aldo Conterno
• Wine: Conca Tre Pile
• Vintage: 2023
• Bottle size: 750ml
• Country: Italy
• Region: Piedmont
• Appellation: Barbera d'Alba
• Grape: Barbera
• Type: Red wine
• Harvest: Manual, with vineyard selection
• Vinification: Stainless steel, followed by oak-cask aging

Guido Porro · Barbera d'Alba DOC · Vigna Santa Caterina · 2025

Guido Porro Barbera d'Alba “Vigna Santa Caterina” 2025 is a vibrant, fruit-driven Piedmont red made from 100% Barbera. Ripe red cherries, wild berries and plums mingle with delicate floral notes and a touch of spice. Lively acidity and soft tannins give the medium-bodied palate freshness and balance, leading to a smooth, juicy finish.

The Producer & Vineyard

The family-owned Guido Porro estate works in the hills of Serralunga d'Alba, in Piedmont's Langhe. Generations of traditional winemaking and a close connection to the local terroir shape its wines. Vigna Santa Caterina produces Barbera with concentration and freshness, highlighting the grape's natural vibrancy and approachable character.

Pairing & Serving

A versatile choice for the table, pair with pasta, pizza, roasted meats, grilled vegetables or aged cheeses. Try serving slightly below room temperature to highlight its fresh fruit and lively acidity.

Details

• Producer: Guido Porro
• Vintage: 2025
• Bottle size: 750ml
• Country: Italy
• Region: Piedmont
• Subregion: Langhe, Serralunga d'Alba
• Appellation: Barbera d'Alba DOC
• Vineyard: Vigna Santa Caterina
• Grape: 100% Barbera
• Type: Red wine
• Style: Dry, medium-bodied