If you are looking for a red wine that you can serve with any meal, then the choice has to be Barbera. This wine is made from the second most planted variety of grapes in Italy. It has a robust fruity taste and lower tannic qualities than most other red wines so that it won`t overpower the taste of the food.



Just after the grapes have been made into wine, it has a really strong aroma of fresh red and black berries, similar to a Nebbiolo (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Nebbiolo). It is thought that this wine originated in the hills of the Piemonte region in the Monteferrato hills of Italy in the 13th century.

Throughout the Middle Ages, this wine was localized to the Piemonte area, but immigrants brought this wine with them when they traveled throughout Europe and the New World. Today Barbera is bottled in several countries of the world.

• In Bolivia, this grapes are grown in Traija

•Italian immigrants to Argentina started growing the grapes, which are now widely grown in this country and used as blends for other wines

• Barbera grapes have been grown in Australia for the past 25 years in the Mudgee region of New South Wales. More recently they have been planted with success in Kings County, Victoria and in the McLauren Vale and the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. The grapes ripen here at the same time as those used for making Shiraz (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Syrah/Shiraz/) and Merlot wines.

• In the wine growing regions of California, Barbera is known as the backbone of jug wines and in used in several of the Monticello wines.

The Barbera grapes flourish in warm climates. They grow in compact bunches on the vines and are late to ripen. Some wineries allow the wine to age in oak barrels so that the flavor of the oak can seep into the wine. Others add a hint of vanilla and still other wineries do not age the wine in oak at all, thus preserving the original flavor. In this case, the wine is drunk when it is young so that it retains its complex taste.

The best known Italian varieties of Barbera wines are Barbera d'Asti and Barbera d'Alba. The grapes can be used to make a variety of wine styles, such as spritzers. The varieties also include wines that need to be aged for several years before you drink them.

One of the nicknames for this wine is “Italian summer wine” and for many it is the perfect beverage to serve with pizza because it goes so well with the tangy taste of tomato sauce. It is also one of the best wines you can serve with barbecued food.

Some of the California varieties of Barbera wine include the 2005 from Cooper Vineyards and the 2006 from Latcham Wineries in Granite Springs. Montevina Wineries produce several varieties of Barbera that have rich, concentrated flavors.

The wines have a taste of black cherry mixed with toffee and other fruits as well as a taste of toasted graham crackers. The Barbera of the Windwalker Winery is aged in oak casks and has the taste of vanilla, coconut and caramel added to give the wine more flavor, although you can still get the fruity taste of the red and black berries.

Barbera wine makes a great choice for any occasion. Serve it with Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner as well as those more informal events.