Barbera delle Langhe

There’s something deeply obscure in the reputation of Langhe DOC Barbera. Not so much because the wine doesn’t deserve attention, but because the name itself seems to suggest something ‘inferior’, as if the producer didn’t feel like going through the process for the more prestigious Barbera d’Alba DOC.

A cushion denomination?

The Langhe DOC is one of those elastic denominations, created to accommodate experimentation and lighten the rigid constraints of the most celebrated DOCGs of Piedmont. This applies to Nebbiolo, to Arneis and also to Barbera. Barbera delle Langhe, according to regulations, must contain at least 85% Barbera – the rest, red grape varieties authorized in Piedmont – and has no aging requirements. It’s a dry, still wine, ruby red in color, fruity on the nose and harmonious on the palate.

But as always, the devil is in the details. The Langhe DOC covers 92 municipalities around Alba, while Barbera d’Alba DOC only covers 49. Translated: there’s more territory, more variety, more possibilities for expression – but also the risk that the wine’s identity gets lost in this freedom.

Barbera, an untiring variety

Barbera is a variety that in Piedmont is queen by cultivated hectares. A vigorous, generous vine, with a natural acidity that makes it sharp when young but also capable of facing time if well vinified. Its berry is oval, the skin deep blue. The wine? When it’s made well, it has that mix of character and rusticity that makes it a perfect table companion and is very Italian.

But beware: not all Barbera is created equal. That from Monferrato is more rustic, often less ambitious. That from Alba (and Asti) has more structure and often more wood. That from Langhe… well, it’s the unexpected variable.

Why choose a Langhe DOC Barbera?

The first reason is economic: some Langhe Barbera cost less than their “d’Alba” counterparts, but come from neighboring vineyards. Secondly, the freedom of the DOC allows certain winemakers to have fun: shorter macerations, different barrels, or maybe a “secret” blend that shifts the wine’s balance. Third reason: certain Langhe DOC Barbera are simply good. Not all of them, but if you dig a little, you find bottles that know how to combine immediacy and territoriality with surprising elegance.

What to expect in the glass?

Color: classic ruby.
Nose: red fruits, sometimes violet, often with a vinous note that makes it immediate.
Palate: beautifully lively acidity, contained tannin, medium body. If young: convivial. If aged: complex but not snobbish.

It’s a wine that calls for the table, especially with cured meats and cheeses, but also with pizza. Barbera is not a meditation wine – it’s a discussion wine. A companion wine. A Sunday lunch wine at the trattoria, not for the good parlor.

Bompè 2022 by Borgogno

As mentioned, however, Barbera delle Langhe can also disappoint, especially when the price (25 euros from retailer) is that of a bottle that should promise something more. In this case, the product from the aforementioned Farinetti definitely disappointed me, as this winery has done on other occasions.

The sensation is that of a thick, unsharpened purple blade that shreds the sense of taste.
Shameful, for the price. The nose starts quite okay, with green notes of dark cherry, liquorice. Also the palate is all in all acceptable, showing good concentration of fruit, juiciness and purity that expresses itself in notes of blackcurrant and blueberries. There’s okay acidity and polished, wet, quite soft long grained tannins felt around the mouth and at its corners. The huge disappointment lies on the finale: so rustic and immediately perceived as wrong. A romanticized osmiza wine seemed to me. Just with some extra degrees liquorice undertones and decent savouriness emerged, but the disappointment remained. Not good, considering the price. The unpleasant notes were particularly noticeable with the soup.

In summary, from this denomination can come some nice surprises, but the risk of swill is there and it’s around the corner.