Barbera Wine variety in Australia

Barbera described on De Long's Wine Variety Table. Click for ordering information

Barbera is best known as a a Piedmontese variety but it is grown on many other Italian regions and it is also used in Australia.

After years of being in the shadow of Nebbiolo this Italian variety is getting more attention from growers winemakers, and consumers. New methods including yield restrictions and barrel maturation have created what amounts to a new style. 

Barbera d'Alba and Barbera d'Asti wines, both named after their place of origin compete in Piedmont for the title of the best Italian examples made from this variety.

Barbera is one of the wines described in the article Five Italian Wines You Should Know About.

The naturally high acid levels of the grape are a beneficial characteristic of the Barbera variety especially in warmer climates. 

John Gladstones in his book Viticulture and Environment, includes the variety in Maturity Group 5, which means that it will ripen at about the same time as Shiraz and Merlot, and a little earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo.

On this basis it would seem that there are a large number of potential vineyard sites for Barbera in Australia. The ideal terroir and viticultural regime for the variety has not been agreed upon its native Piedmont, so that there may be many years before we see the best Barbera wines produced here. 

What seems reasonably clear at the moment is that Barbera has probably been easier to get results from in Australia than its noble cousin Nebbiolo.

Australian WIneries using Barbera

• Aldinga Bay McLaren Vale
• Alpha Box and Dice McLaren Vale
• Amadio Adelaide Hills
• Angullong Wines Orange
• Anvers Adelaide Hills
• Aramis Hunter Valley
• Ballandean Estate Granite Belt
• Barrecas Geographe
• Beechworth Wine Estates Beechworth
• Bella Ridge Estate Swan District
• Bellwether Coonawarra
• Berg Herring McLaren Vale
• Billy Button Alpine Valleys
• Bimbadgen Hunter Valley
• Bioreann Granite Belt
• Blewitt Springs McLaren Vale
• Brackenwood Adelaide Hills
• Bremerton Langhorne Creek
• Calico Town Rutherglen
• Camp Road Estate Hunter Valley
• Caravino Swan Valley
• Cargo Road Wines Orange
• Carillion Wines Orange
• Carlei Estate Yarra Valley
• Catherine Vale Vineyard Hunter Valley
• Centennial Vineyards Southern Highlands
• Ceravolo Premium Wines Adelaide Plains
• Chain of Ponds Adelaide Hills
• Chalk Hill Winery McLaren Vale
• Charlish & Co Adelaide Hills
• Chrismont King Valley
• Clovely Estate South Burnett
• Cobbity Wines South Coast Zone
• Cockfighters Ghost Hunter Valley
• Coulter Wines Adelaide Hills
• Crittenden Estate Mornington Peninsula
• Crowe Canberra
• Cupitt's Winery Shoalhaven Coast
• Dal Zotto Estate King Valley
• David Hook Wines Hunter Valley
• Dell'uva Wines  Barossa Valley
• Di Lusso Estate Mudgee
• Dirt Candy Hunter Valley
• Domaine De Binet Hunter Valley
• Dromana Estate Mornington Peninsula
• Ferraro Wines Alpine Valleys
• First Creek Hunter Valley
• First Drop Barossa Valley
• First Ridge Mudgee
• Five O’Clock Somewhere McLaren Vale
• Flying Fish Cove Margaret River
• Gapsted Wines Alpine Valleys
• Glenwillow Vineyard Bendigo
• Golden Grove Estate Granite Belt
• Grove Estate Wines Hilltops
• Harvey River Estate Geographe
• Hastwell and Lightfoot McLaren Vale
• Henschke Eden Valley
• Hill River Estate Clare Valley
• Hollick Wines Coonawarra
• Jilly Wines New England
• Kaesler Barossa Valley
• King River Estate King Valley
• Kurrrajong Estate Hunter Valley
• Kyotmunga Estate Perth Hills
• La Cantina King Valley King Valley
• La Fattoria Perth Hills
• La Prova Adelaide Hills
• Landhaus Estate Adelaide Hills
• Langmeil Barossa Valley
• Lingo Adelaide Hillls
• Living Roots Adelaide Hills
• Longview Vineyard Adelaide Hills
• Lowe Family Wines Mudgee
• Margan Family Hunter Valley
• Massena Wines Barossa Valley
• Massoni Pyrenees
• Mercer Hunter Valley
• Merkel King Valley
• Michael Unwin Wines Grampians
• Michelini Alpine Valleys
• Middlebrook Estate McLaren Vale
• Monichino Wines Goulburn Valley
• Monument Vineyard Central Ranges Zone
• Moojelup Farm Geographe
• Mordrelle Adelaide Hills
• Mount Broke Wines Hunter Valley
• Mount Buff Wines Alpine Valleys
• Mount Langi Ghiran Vineyards Grampians
• Mount Towrong Macedon Ranges
• Nikola Estate Swan Valley
• Oatley Wines Mudgee
• Old School Winery Perricoota
• Patch Yarra Valley
• Patritti Wines McLaren Vale
• Petaluma Adelaide Hills
• Peter Drayton Wines Hunter Valley
• Petronio Yarra Valley
• Piggs Peake Winery Hunter Valley
• Primo Estate McLaren Vale
• Prometheus Riverland
• Protero Adelaide Hills
• Ravensworth Wines Canberra
• Red Earth Estate Western Plains
• Redheads Barossa Valley
• Sam Miranda Wines King Valley
• Santolin Yarra Valley
• SC Pannell McLaren Vale
• Scarpantoni Estate McLaren Vale
• Serafino Wines McLaren Vale
• Serrat Yarra Valley
• Serrena Que Estate Granite Belt
• Sevenhill Wines Clare Valley
• Seville Hill Yarra Valley
• Shaw + Smith Adelaide Hills
• Skimstone Mudgee
• Slain Giant Barossa Valley
• Somos McLaren Vale
• Spook Hill Wines Riverland
• Tarrawarra Estate Yarra Valley
• The Little Wine Company Hunter Valley
• The Other Wine Co Adelaide Hills
• Thomson Brook Wines Geographe
• Toppers Mountain New England
• Tulloch Hunter Valley
• Tumblong Hills Gundagai
• Unico Zelo Adelaide Hills
• Vale Creek Wines Central Ranges Zone
• Vigna Bottin McLaren Vale
• Vignerons Schmölzer & Brown Beechworth
• Vinea Marson Heathcote
• Wandin Valley Estate Hunter Valley
• Witchmount Estate Sunbury
• Woodgate Wines Manjimup
• XO Wine Co Adelaide Hills
• Yarra Peaks Yarra Valley
• Yelland and Papps Barossa Valley
• Zappa Wines New England
• Zerella (la Gita) McLaren Vale
• Zonzo Yarra Valley

More Italian red wine varieties used in Australia

barbera and food

Enjoy barbera with a plate of charcuterie

The savory flavours and high acid levels in many Barbera wines make them ideal accompaniments to Italian style cuisine. If you are serving charcuterie or a meaty antipasto, Barbera's sharpness can make it a great choice of wine.

You could serve Barbera wines with most dishes that have a tomato and herb based sauce... or try them with a mushroom risotto.

Fatty foods such as roast duck also benefit from being served with acid wines.

Maybe you could use Barbera with duck and orange sauce. The wine would be robust enough not to be overwhelmed by the citrus sauce.

Evan Goldstein recommends serving Barbera wine with Junipers-scented Chicken Liver 

You can buy his book Daring Pairings from Book Depository, with free delivery wherever you are.