Barbera d'Asti
Climate region | warm |
---|---|
Wine produced | 2013: 226,806 Hectoliters [1] |
Barbera d'Asti is an
Under the DOCG rules, a minimum of 90% Barbera grapes must be used; the balance may be made up with either Freisa, Grignolino or Dolcetto grapes.
The wine must be made before the date of 1 March immediately following the harvest, and must reach an alcohol content of 11.5%.
Since 2000, it has been possible to produce Barbera d'Asti Superiore, for which the wine must have an alcoholic strength of at least 12.5% by volume, and be aged for at least 14 months, 6 months of which stored in oak or chestnut
The superiore wine has a strong additional
The Nizza DOCG was added to Asti's Barbera portfolio in 2014. The Nizza production rules require the use of 100% Barbera grapes, a maximum yield of 7 tonnes per hectare, and minimum aging of 18 months, of which 6 months must be in oak barrels. The minimum alcoholic strength is 13%, or 13.5% if produced by a single, named vineyard.[3]
History
The Barbera grape is believed to have originated in the hills of Montferrat in central Piedmont, Italy and is known from the thirteenth century. The first written proof of vinification is stored in the city hall of Nizza Monferrato and dates back to the seventeenth century. The wine enters officially in the role of Piedmontese wines in 1798, the date of the first Ampelography made by Giuseppe Nuvolone-Pergamo, count of Scandaluzza from the Accademia di Agricoltura di Torino (Agricultural Society of Turin).
Barbera spread rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries, and is today considered to be Piedmont's principal red grape variety.
See also
References
- ^ http://www.viniastimonferrato.it/en/il-consorzio/dati-e-approfondimenti/i-numeri-di-barbera-dasti-c.html [dead link]
- ^ "DOCG" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
- ^ PDF Archived 2015-11-18 at the Wayback Machine Nizza DOCG Regulations, Consorzio Tutela Vini d'Asti e Monferrato, 29 October 2012