Barbera

We're in the Italian province of Asti today, about 90 minutes northwest of Genoa, the port on the Ligurian Sea. If we continued to the northwest, we'd leave the foothills and be in the Italian Alps in Torino (Turin to Americans). But, today, we are in the much smaller commune of Nizza Monferrato. Why? In Nizza Monferrato with a history dating back to the 13th century, they make what may be the finest Barbera in the world.

The history of the area, like much of the Piemonte, is somewhat checkered. It spent much of the 13th through mid-17th centuries being passed around through battle from essentially one French faction to another while occasionally falling under Spanish rule as well. By the early 18th century, it fell into the hands of the Kingdom of Savoy which itself had fallen under the rule of at least a dozen nations many of which are now parts of Italy or France. In World War II Nizza Monferrato served as an outpost for the Italian rebels who opposed the fascist regime of Mussolini. At the end of the war, the people of the commune as a group were awarded a Silver Medal for Military Valor for opposing fascism.

Less than a decade ago, Nizza was awarded Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) status in Italy, representing the highest quality of wines produced in the country. And, with DOCG status comes a set of strict rules that would be unusual in the industry in the US, among them:

• Minimum alcohol by volume (ABV) of 13% or 13.5% if it is a single vineyard wine
• Minimum barrel aging of 6 months or 12 months for Riserva wines
• Total aging of at least 18 months or 30 months for those labeled Riserva

Barbera is a highly approachable wine. Considered the ugly stepchild of Nebbiolo, Barbera generally is relegated off the south-facing slopes at higher altitudes or below the nebbia (fog) at the lower altitudes. It has light tannins, but high acidity, amking it taste and feel somewhat juicy. It's dark, nearly black, but has much brighter sour cherry and strawberry notes, so it gives the impression of being both a big and bold wine as well as a lighter and fruitier wine at the same time.

This makes it a marvelous food wine. You can pair it in the traditional regional style particularly with carne all' albese, the local version of steak tartare prepared with olive oil and parmegianno. Or, you can pair it in a parallel or congruent fashion (meaning that the wine flavors match the food flavors) loading the food with the likes of sour cherry, sage, anise, cinnamon, and nutmeg as these are herbaceous flavors you will likely find in the Barbera of Nizza. Finally, you can go the most traditional complementary route in pairing and let the acidity balance out the food. For this, go with savory mushrooms, dark meats, and root vegetables.