Barbera, productive and versatile red grape variety widely planted in northern Italy where total 2010 plantings were 20,523 ha/50,692 acres, a dramatic decrease since the nearly 50,000 ha/123,552 acres in the 1990s. No genetic link can be found with other Piemontese varieties, suggesting that it was imported into the region relatively recently.
Barbera ripens relatively late, as much as two weeks after the other ‘lesser’ black grape variety of Piemonte dolcetto, although in advance of the stately nebbiolo. Its chief characteristic is its high level of natural acidity even when fully ripe, which has helped its popularity in hot climates (it is also grown to quite an extent in Australia, Argentina, and, especially California).
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