The Piedmont region in Italy is renowned for wines from the Nebbiolo grape but many locals drink Barbera after a day's work. Eric Asimov writes a wine column in the New York Times and discusses Barbera as part of his wine school. He recalled that his favorite bottle during graduate school was Conterno Barbera which was available then for $8 but it was now priced at $60. Inflation accounts for only half of the increase. Greater demand and increased costs by limiting yields and aging in oak barrels are also responsible. Al Tollini's Barbera vines—in Redwood Valley, California—celebrate their 20th birthday this year. Al maintains a generous ratio of canopy to fruit so the vines always fully ripen the grapes. The 2018 grapes were destemmed into two open top fermentors where we punched down twice a day, then after pressing, the wine was aged 10 months in French oak barrels. Medium bodied, plenty of dark-fruit flavors and resolved tannins. Gold Medal winner. Best of Show.
The destemmed grapes are typically five foot deep in our open-top fermentors. The skins in fermenting must rise to the top and the semi-dry cap of skins can be more than a foot deep and hard to push back into the juice. No country for old men.
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The destemmed grapes are typically five foot deep in our open-top fermentors. The skins in fermenting must rise to the top and the semi-dry cap of skins can be more than a foot deep and hard to push back into the juice. No country for old men.