Sometimes I think Barbera gets lost in the mix of great Piemonte bar-words, most notably Barolo and Barbaresco. While the latter two are geographical zones that produce complex, age-worthy reds from the Nebbiolo variety, Barbera (Bar-BEAR-uh) is a grape that yields some of Piemonte’s most luscious and charming red wines—wines which the locals probably drink more of than anything else. There is no better time to revisit Barbera than now, because we rarely have all three of our main bottlings in stock and they span a wide range of expressions, showing that while Barbera is best when it is kept simple and pure, it still captures differences in terroir very well. If you feel like Goldilocks, curious to find out which Barbera suits you best of these three, keep reading!
     Let’s start, for example, with Cantine Valpane’s Barbera del Monferrato “Perlydia.” A zone predominantly focused on Barbera—rather than, say, Nebbiolo—Monferrato feels like a world away from the constellation of hillside towns in Barolo and Barbaresco. Nothing illustrates this different microclimate better than the palm trees you pass as you walk through Cantine Valpane’s garden. The air is warmer than in the Langhe, and the terrain more gentler, yielding a deep and velvety Barbera with notes of black cherries and a certain woodsiness.
     In the Langhe, meanwhile, Alessandro and Gian Natale farm Barbera just opposite from their grand Barolo (aka Nebbiolo) vines. Quintessential Piemonte traditionalists, Alessandro and Gian Natale always seek to make Barbera that’s all about fruit-forward purity and exuberance. While their noble terroir certainly shines through in the Fantinos’ rendition, the brothers age it in stainless steel for a year and a half to preserve as much of the light-hearted spirit and fresh fruit as possible. Brimming with notes of red berries and blood orange, this Barbera is possibly the most versatile of the bunch. It will be one of the first bottles I reach for this fall as I make pots of ragù, mushroom risotto, and Georgeanne Brennan’s pot roast braised in Barbera.
     Finally, in Serralunga d’Alba, you’ll find an example that sits somewhere between the Valpane and Fantino. From an exceptional terroir just above Guido Porro’s Barolo vines, his Santa Caterina vineyard shows a touch of the terroir’s trademark heft and structure while still embodying a vibrant, high-toned, and joyous rosso, replete with pretty notes of brambly fruit, licorice, and stones.
     I don’t want to overstate the differences in these bottles—Barbera’s fundamental charm and pleasure shine through in all three. But if you want to delve into a variety of expressions of Piemonte’s most extroverted grape, there is no better place to start than this sampler.

Click here for Georgeanne Brennan’s pot roast recipe.