aging barbera wines

[tbarbera]

how long should one age barbera wines? or better yet how long after they are bottled should i drink them? im trying to start a collection and was wondering how long i should keep them.

[Innkeeper]

I believe more so with Barbera than with other wines that there is usually a direct link between quality of wines by price. The lower priced ones are more approachable and a delight with almost any food needing a match with high acid wine.

The more expensive ones, say over $20 can usually stand some aging. Even then, would not age them for a long time; say seven or eight years from vintage. There may be examples of individual wines that were marvelous after 20 years, but that would be an exception.

When I think about aging wines I usally don't thing about Barbera, even though it is a wine we drink a lot of.

[tbarbera]

oh ok my main idea was to try and find a barbera that maybe i could buy on the cheaper side $12-15ish lets say 2004 vintage and then put away until 2010. my last name is barbera which may explain why i am quite enamoured with the barbera wines. is that something that is possible or are most barberas better to drink now, and if i am looking for bottles to age i assume i should go with a bordeaux or a cab?

[Innkeeper]

I think that almost any current release you buy at that price point would last till 2010 under proper storage conditions.

If I wanted one to last till then I would get an Easton Barbera for $20.