Barbera is one of Piedmont’s most iconic grape varieties, originating from Monferrato. It best embodies the essence of this area: land of ancient woods and castles, towers and legends, pastures and fields of wildflowers, rolling hills combed with vineyards, and charming villages, each full of character.
Barbera inherits its versatility from this landscape, showing a wide range of expressions, from youthful, sparkling styles to those that matured over time.
Monferrato is reflected in the wine’s deep, intense color, rich aroma, and enveloping taste.
The Terroir Makes the Difference
Barbera d’Asti is born in the heart of Piedmont in a unique terroir: the area of Asti, with its hills and soils rich in calcareous marl, offers the ideal conditions for growing high-quality Barbera grapes.
The region’s climate, with hot summers and cold winters and a significant temperature range between day and night, contributes to the aromatic intensity and complexity of the Barbera grape. The predominantly clay-limestone soil gives the wine its characteristic structure and minerality.
Barbera del Monferrato: The Differences Between Designations
Barbera del Monferrato is a DOC wine produced in the province of Asti and part of the Alessandria province.
Barbera d’Asti holds the DOCG (Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin) designation, attesting to its superior quality and connection to the region. There are two main types:
1. Barbera d’Asti DOCG, requiring a minimum aging of 4 months. Our Libera is a Barbera d’Asti made from the younger vines on our property in Pianoalto at Agliano, one of the most dedicated areas for Barbera.
2. Barbera d’Asti DOCG Superiore: The Superiore version, produced with meticulous care and grape selection, is aged for at least 12 months in the cellar, with at least six months spent in wooden barrels, followed by bottle aging. These wines have great longevity and can be enjoyed even after more than 10 years in the bottle.
Our Stradivario, the Bava Barbera Superiore, is a small production from our most important cru in Cocconato, the Bricco della Pieve, a historic vineyard on the slopes of a gentle hill, and only leaves the cellar after at least 10 years of aging.
Not to be forgotten is the Nizza DOCG, a designation since 2014 for Barbera produced in the Nizza Monferrato area.
Our oldest vineyard in the Agliano Terme estate is the source of our Pianoalto Nizza DOCG.
Stradivario: The Barbera d’Asti Superiore, Symbol of a Passion Spanning Generations
Stradivario, our Barbera d’Asti Superiore, is a meaningful piece of the Bava family history, a wine that has been with us for generations from the heart of our Bricco della Pieve vineyard in Cocconato.
From these calcareous lands, exposed to the sun and caressed by the wind, we cultivate Barbera vines with great passion and dedication, rewarding us with an elegant and long-lasting wine.
Like the violin from which it takes its name, crafted by the master luthier Stradivari, Stradivario matures over time, offering harmonious notes of cherry, plum, white pepper, and tobacco. A wine to savour today or to cherish for future occasions.
Vinification and Aging Techniques
The production of Barbera wine follows a meticulous process that enhances the grape’s characteristics. Vinification techniques begin with careful grape selection and fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks.
For Barbera d’Asti Superiore, barrel aging plays a crucial role. Using large and small oak barrels (barriques) helps add aromatic complexity and tannic structure to the wine without overwhelming the grape’s natural characteristics.
Organoleptic Characteristics of Barbera d’Asti: What Makes It Unique
Tasting a Barbera d’Asti is a sensory experience that indulges the palate with a rich array of aromas and flavors. Here are the characteristics that define the personality of this Piemontese wine.
Color: Brilliant and deep ruby red, which, over time, turns garnet.
Aroma: On the nose, it is intense and bold, with vinous notes in its youth, accompanied by a broad bouquet of red fruits like cherry, raspberry, blackberry, and plum. The Superiore type, thanks to its time in wood, gains spicy notes (vanilla, cocoa), creating a complex wine.
Taste: It is an immediate, dry, warm, and full-bodied wine with a pleasant acidic backbone that prepares for a dry, intense sip. With enjoyable sapidity, Barbera d’Asti is round and well-balanced, with a persistent and harmonious aftertaste. In the Superiore version, the sensations become more complex, with hints of chocolate, vanilla, and coffee that blend with the fruit’s sweetness.
In sum, Barbera d’Asti, especially in the Superiore type, is an intense, complex, and persistent wine, balanced in its hard and soft components. Its freshness renews each taste, making it unique and unforgettable.
Best Pairings
Barbera d’Asti lends itself to many pairings. Alongside traditional Piemontese foods, it allows one to explore, from the table, a territory rich in charm, history, and intriguing flavors.
Yet this wine also offers pleasant surprises: its versatility makes it perfect with dishes from other culinary traditions, surprisingly pairing well with gourmet pizzas or grilled meats.
Here are some food and wine pairing suggestions that celebrate the flavors of Piemonte.
- Appetizers: Traditional Piemontese cured meats and aged cheeses.
- First Courses: Agnolotti al plin, tajarin with meat ragù.
- Main Courses: Barbera-braised meats, mixed boiled meats, and roasted red meats.
- Traditional Piemontese Recipes: Bagna cauda, finanziera.
Barbera: Tastings and Visits to the Cellar
At our Cocconato cellar, you can taste Libera, Pianoalto, and Stradivario, our Barbera d’Asti, Nizza, and Barbera d’Asti Superiore, deepening your understanding of what makes these wines unique and, with it, the winemaking history of this Monferrato region and that of the Bava family, now spanning six generations.
Accompanying a tasting of our wines with a visit to the cellar is, indeed, a journey into the past, among historical labels and old images that trace the same past, which still today makes each sip special.