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A grape that MUST be in your arsenal, especially if you like Italian food, Barbera is diverse, food friendly, and darn tasty. The trick to the grape is to figure out the style you like and the place it's made. In this podcast we cover it all!   Overview: Barbera is one of Italy's top 5 most planted grapes, one of the 15 most planted in the world! 60%+ is in Piemonte, but it's found in almost every region We have no real idea of the parentage, but we know it's not related to the other Piedmont grapes...a strange anomaly that needs more investigation!    About the Grape Large bunches, oval, very dark blue berries – darkest of all the reds of Piemonte  Productive, ripens late, can get out of control quickly so pruning is a must. Even at high yields it tastes ok because of its acidity Drought resistant, versatile in many soil types, adaptable   The Wine The best are bright with good acid, cherry notes, earth, spice, low tannins With barrel age the wine can be plummy, round, softer and more complex -- oak can "beef up" the wine Barbera is a good blender but on its own can be tasty although it needs food There is A LOT of variety in winemaking and character Producers: Great producers of Barolo and Barbaresco make good Barbera Giacomo Conterno, Braida, Marchesi Gresy, Vietti, Paolo Scavino,  Giuseppe Mascarello, La Spinetta, Gaja Famed wine: Bricco dell'Uccellone     Appellations Italy Barbera d’Asti and Barbera Monferrato Superiore DOCG, up to 15% Freisa, Grignolino, Dolcetto. Asti – Barbera is queen  Nizza is the top wine – 100% Barbera, strict rules Lighter in color than other appellations in Piedmont Unofficial Classico region – between Nizza Monferrato, Vinchio, Castelnuovo Calcea, Agliano, Rocchetta, Belveglio – Barbera’s traditional best zone Barbera d’Alba DOC Smoother, richer, velvety Barbera – complex, powerful, dark in color Alba is popular because good winemkaers are here – best Barolo is made here and those winemakers also make Barbera limits the quality and quantities of the wines labeled with the Barbera d'Alba DOC.  Barbera del Monferrato DOC Barbera is blended with up to 15% Freisa, Grignolino, Dolcetto and can be slightly sparkling Tart, fruity, light, sharp acidity, can be frizzante , not in the market Lombardia: Oltrepo Pavese, some blended with Bonarda.  Usually good acidity, good with full food Emilia-Romagna: often blended with other stuff   Other regions: California First planted in 1880s Today: Bonny Doon in Central Coast, Peterson in Sonoma, many producers in Sierra foothills/Amador County, Lodi, Napa, Paso, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Central Valley Other US: Washington, Arizona, Oregon Australia: Barossa Top producers: Brown Brothers, Crittenden Argentina:  Mendoza makes good Barbera, used for blending Greece, Israel, Uruguay   Thank you to our sponsors this week: YOU! The podcast supporters on Patreon, who are helping us to make the podcast possible and who we give goodies in return for their help! Check it out today: https://www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople     The Great Courses Plus -- who makes you smarter and more well rounded! With thousands of outstanding video lectures that you can watch or listen to any time and anywhere, The Great Courses Plus is an easy way to stimulate your brain and make you smarter! For a free trial, support the show and go to my special URL thegreatcoursesplus.com/wine    The Great Courses Plus has a wonderful National Geographic Live! Series that I recommend checking out: Celebrating Human Cultures! It explores fascinating civilizations around the world like: aboriginal Australia, the women of Afghan, the people of Cuba and it's led by photographers, travel writers, and other experts from National Geographic. It's a great glimpse into how other people live around the world!   HelloFresh! A meal kit delivery service that shops, plans and delivers your favorite step-by-step recipes and pre-measured ingredients so you can just cook, eat and enjoy! Delivered right to your door, with a variety of chef-curated recipes that change weekly, this is a new way to eat and cook! We love it!  For $30 off your first week of HelloFresh, visit www.hellofresh.com and enter WINE30. You won't regret it!