This crossover Italian wine is a match for seafood and vegetables

Northwestern Italy’s Piedmont region produces a remarkably diverse range of wines, from sweet, frothy, white moscatos to dense, age-worthy, red Barolos. The region’s name translates as “foothills,” an apt moniker for a landscape bounded by mountain peaks on three sides, where frequent fogs can make it difficult to ripen grapes to their full potential. Indeed, centuries of winemaking history have led Piedmontese vintners to slice and dice their hillside vineyards for ripening potential, planting different varieties in places based on their elevation, soil type, and orientation to the rising sun.

Piedmont’sfame in the fine wine world is a matched pair of epic and expensive red wines, Barolo and Barbaresco, that take their names from villages in the Alba region. Both must be made using 100% nebbiolo grapes, a thick-skinned variety that produces intense, long-lived red wines. However, this stubborn grape can only ripen properly in ideal conditions. As a result, those vineyards that face south and east are planted with Nebbiolo, while two lesser grapes are used for lesser sites and the larger environs. Historically, these could be white or red, but one red variety in particular has started earning its own following. Barbera once made only simple young wines of everyday quality in the Alba region but have improved dramatically in recent years. Barbera wines like this one feature an appealing combination of juicy fruit flavors, elevated acidity, and low tannins that make it a terrific crossover red wine for foods more typically served with white wines, like seafood and vegetables. This example is made by an impeccable producer best known for their Barolos and Barbarescos, whose winemaking skills are on display in this lovely wine dominated by flavors of fresh blackberries, sour cherries, and preserved lemons.

$18.99; 13.5% alcohol

PLCB Item #8121

Sale price through Oct. 2 (regularly $21.99)

Also available at:

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