A Barbera d'Alba

Barbera d'Alba a not very prestigious grape from the Piedmont...

Matteo Ascheri

As you may know, I am a big fan of Italian wine, especially but not exclusively, reds. Today’s wine comes from the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, home to some great wines. I looked long and hard on the Internet to see if I could justify placing it in my $15 and under column. Frankly, seeing it for sale at $12 in Germany doesn’t count. Barbera is the most prolific Piedmont red grape. It comes in lots of varieties, Barbera d’Alba is one of the best. Cantine Giacomo Aschere has been making wine since the 1880s. They have an interesting website that includes the recipe of the month, undoubtedly served in their hotel restaurant. The last time I looked the recipe was for Ravioli with Crayfish, Sea Bass, and Asparagus that they suggested pairing with one of their whites. The local village is La Morra in which it was illegal to cut down a Nebbiolo vine (in case you don’t know Nebbiolo is considered the best Piedmont grape). The penalty ranged from amputating a hand to death. This is wine country. Today’s companion wine is a red from the much more plebian region of Abruzzi at less than half the price.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Ascheri Fontanelle Barbera d’Alba 2008 14.0 % alcohol about $17

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Description: This single-vineyard Barbera gives you a taste of the latest vintage from Piedmont, and for a song! Deep purple in color, it displays elegant aromas of ripe black cherry, plum, tobacco and hints of new oak. It's medium bodied, with deep, dark fruit flavors balanced by lively acidity and soft tannins. Enjoy with tomato-based pasta, chicken marengo, or a meat-and-cheese antipasto platter. And now for my review.

Ascheri Barbera d'Alba

At the first sips this wine presented great balance and length. I tasted tobacco and dark plums. The initial meal was chili on rice. This wine got even better. It was chewy and very long, tasting of leather and chocolate.

My next meal centered on fried liver. This Barbera d’Alba was thick and well balanced. Its taste of the barrel was just enough to be positive in my eyes; I am not a big fan of oak. There was a tinge of tobacco and lots of black cherries. When consumed with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, the wine became more acidic and the black cherries remained.

My final meal included stovetop chicken thighs cooked in salsa. This Italian red was mellow, in fact it defined the word mellow with a great balance between dark chocolate and tobacco. With okra in tomato and garlic sauce and kasha (buckwheat groats) the chocolate intensified. When it met the fruit juice candy the wine retained its length and tobacco but I preferred the other pairings.

Prior to the cheese tasting I enjoyed some matjes herring. The Barbera d’Alba was round, deep, and balanced providing a little chocolate. In the face of a sharp yellow cheddar this wine was powerful and multilayered, tasting of caramel. With a tasty Swiss cheese it was lighter but had great length. I might start to like wine and cheese pairings.

Final verdict. It’s already done. I ran out and got a bottle for my wine club. I think they’ll like it as well. If you can get the German price, buy it by the case.

Access the companion wine A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wine - A Really Inexpensive Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

About the Author

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine websites include
www.theworldwidewine.com and http://www.theitalianwineconnection.com

Visit his site devoted to touring Italy www.travelitalytravel.com