Well-Priced Piedmonts

Piedmont, Italy is known for its outstanding wines.

They’re popular, and that can make them pricey.

So, I’m testing out some reasonable options that the critics are into, like this 2021 Damilano Barbera d’Asti, that I paid $19.99 for on wine.com. (It’s currently $15.93 on Saratoga Wine Exchange.) It got 92 points from Wine Spectator & 91 points from James Suckling.

But first, a couple of quick facts about Barbera d’Asti and Piedmont:

-Piedmont is in Northwest Italy and is best known for Barolo and Barbaresco.

-Asti is considered the home of the best Barbera in Italy. You might recognize Asti from Asti Spumante or Moscato d’Asti—easy drinking sparkling wines that were popular before Prosecco took over.

-Barbera is the grape. It can have high acidity, and does well when it’s oaked, which adds tannins and softens the acidity.

-Barbera d’Asti can be fruity, young, and ready to drink now. It can also be more concentrated and age-worthy.

This Damilano Barbera d’Asti looks dark and deep purple in the glass. It smells like blackberries with a hint of bbq sauce or game, plus some dry dirt. It tastes like dark fruits—blackberry again—with velvety tannins that coat your tongue. This is a full-bodied, but not too heavy wine, really luscious, especially for the price. It’s ready to drink now, but you could hang onto it for a few more years.

I’d drink it with charcuterie, mushrooms, pasta with meat sauce. This would be great alongside almost any kind of meat on the grill this spring and summer.

Chin!