TNs on 12 barberas

[Innkeeper]

Newsy, if you check my posts on Italian Barbera you will find that I usually spend between $7 & $14 on it. Don't think I've ever gone over $15. When recommending it, I always tell folks, the less you spend, the better. The reason for this is that the bigger barberas are almost all too concentrated for that grape, and heavily oaked to compensate for the strong rubbery flavor. These are usually made by the folk's who also make Barolo and Barbaresco as a less expensive alternative.

The barberas I'm talking about are light wines with high acidity, moderate complexity, and low oak. Very refreshing food wines. American Barbera is another story. Hard to believe they are made from the same grape. Many are made from old vines first planted decades ago by Italian immigrants. Some of these are fine for quaffing, and can be had for the $15 - $22 range. They are well worth it, and are comparable in quality to the others you mentioned.