Burgers and Barbera

It’s summer—time for quick get-togethers, backyard barbeques, and easy cooking. One staple of these events is the burger: juicy beef accompanied by a variety of condiments, the most common of which is ketchup. Finding a wine to accompany this American combo, however, can be a problem. You need one that not only has enough weight to support the beef, but that also delivers enough fruit flavor to stand up to the ketchup as well as adequate acidity to cut through the fat. Moreover, because of the informal nature of these gatherings, you probably want a wine that’s affordable. Quite a tall order.

Well, my choice for this challenge is typically a Barbera from Italy’s Piedmont region. This widespread varietal accounts for more than 40% of the region’s production and has three distinct classified regions, or DOCs, dedicated to it: Barbera d’Alba, Barbera d’Asti, and Barbera del Monferrato. Because this grape is so plentiful, it’s often referred to as the “people’s wine,” distinguishing it from the more noble and later ripening varietal, Nebbiolo, which is the basis of Piedmont’s renowned, and more costly, Barolos and Barbarescos.

Piemontese Barberas range in style from the rustic to the elegant. Their flavors are relatively consistent, with a predominant cherry character accompanied by some hints of earth. The grape is low in tannins and considerably high in acidity (making it perfect for our burgers). They can be light to full bodied, with the lighter examples coming from Monferrato and the heavier from Alba. Asti’s wines fall somewhere in between. The most affordable are the simple DOC-labeled wines. You’ll also find some classified “Superiore,” which indicates an additional year of ageing and a minimum alcohol level of 13%. Still higher in price and generally in quality are the single-vineyard Barberas. These wines will often have more fruit concentration and added complexity.

At the top of the quality and price scales are the barrique Barberas. These wines began to appear in the early 80s, when Piemontese producers, following the lead of their Tuscan counterparts, started to pay more attention to cultivation methods and to age wines from their best vineyards in small oak barrels known as “barriques.” Because, in this method of production, more of the wine is exposed to oak, these Barberas will usually be higher in tannins, have more structure, and can age quite gracefully. Not surprisingly, these wines are quite sought after by collectors and fetch premium prices.

But for the rest of us, and especially for serving with burgers, the simple Barberas will do. In fact, these Barberas have benefited from the renewed focus on quality over quantity and the effort to curb yields and increase extract that have spread throughout many European wine regions these days. Moreover, since 1996, this area in northwestern Italy has enjoyed an uninterrupted string of good to great vintages, which has only added to making it easier to find high quality Barberas quite readily and at reasonable prices.

So this summer, if you haven’t tried this pairing before, fire-up the grill, put on the burgers, and open a good Barbera.

Serving Note: To enjoy a young Barbera at its best, give it an hour or so to breathe. Just uncork, pour off a sip to increase the exposed surface area, and let it sit at room temperature.

As is our custom, we tasted the wines first on their own and then with the food. The wines are listed in the order in which they were tasted.

	2001 Castelvero, Barbera Piemonte, DOC ($5.99) Ruby in color, with loads of legs, this Barbera has a warm, inviting nose, with spice, cherries, and a hint of earth. Light to medium bodied, it's packed with sweet Bing-cherry flavors and plenty of the acidity you expect from this grape. The wine is nicely structured, with very soft tannins and good extract. It finishes well, with a touch of spice. (Note that this Barbera does not fall into any of the three DOCs, named after towns, that we discussed in the introduction, but rather is labeled a "Piemonte" DOC. This is a relatively new classification (1994) for wines produced in the Piedmont region but outside their original areas.) Excellent with the burgers. Given its price, we made it a star of this tasting. Imported by Vias Imports Ltd., New York, NY.

	2000 Villadoria, Barbera d'Alba Superiore, DOC ($8.99) Ruby in color, this wine has nice legs. The nose is understated, with earth and mushroom aromas, complemented by some smoke and underpinnings of cherry. Medium bodied, it has a good mouthfeel. It's a little tannic and delivers smoky flavors, followed by cherries and a hint of wild mushroom. It has good length and finishes nicely with tart-plum or prune flavors. Excellent with the burgers; its acidity cut through the meat fat. Imported by Lauber Imports Ltd., Somerville, NJ.

	2000 Michele Chiarlo, Barbera d'Asti Superiore, DOC ($9.99) Garnet in color, with long, flowing legs, this wine has a rustic, barnyard nose, along with some red-berry notes. Light to medium bodied, it offers subtle tobacco, spice, and raisin flavors. It's well structured, with good acidity and nice concentration of flavor. Quite elegant, it has good length and finishes with light-tobacco and raisin notes. The rustic nose belies the wine's elegance. It nicely complemented the burgers. Imported by Kobrand Corp., New York, NY.

	2000 Tomaso Gianolio, Barbera d'Alba, DOC ($9.99) Garnet in color, with some orange hues, this wine has good legs. The nose is forward with barnyard aromas. Medium bodied, it has good structure, with well-balanced fruit and supple tannins. It delivers tobacco and dried-cherry flavors along with some tarry notes. It has good length and a distinctive tarry finish. A "youthful wine," commented one taster. It definitely spiced up the burgers. Imported by Signature Selections, South Kearny, NJ.

	2001 Icardi Cav. Pierino, Barbera d'Asti Taberin, DOC ($10.99) Purple red in color, with loads of legs, this wine has a forward, inviting, sweet rock-candy and cherry nose. It's nicely structured with beautiful concentration, good acidity, and no rough edges. Medium bodied, it's packed with with plenty of berry and cherry flavors. "Yummy," commented one taster; "Fun to taste," added another. It has plenty of length and a good, tart-cherry finish. It was outstanding with the burgers. Definitely, a star of this tasting. Imported by Vinifera Imports Ltd., Ronkonkoma, NY.

	2001 Seghesio, Barbera d'Alba, DOC ($12.99) This wine is deep purple in color and has nice legs. The intriguing nose offers deep black-cherry aromas that are soon followed by anise or licorice. Medium to full bodied, it has an elegant mouthfeel and gorgeous structure, with its tannins, fruit, and acidity nicely proportioned. It delivers loads of black-cherry flavors, complemented by licorice and tobacco. It has plenty of length, with cherries and tart plums on the finish. A beautiful wine. It added a peppery spice to the burgers. Another star of this tasting. Imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY.

	1999 Corino, Barbera d'Alba, DOC ($12.99) Deep purple in color, with gobs of legs, this wine has a green-bell-pepper nose, with underpinnings of mushroom and spice. On the palate, it's silky smooth. Light to medium bodied, it initially offers spicy flavors with nuances of blue plums. Tartness and additional spice soon follow. The wine has good length and finishes with dried fruit and spice. There are hints of oak on the finish as well. It was, not surprisingly, spicy with the burgers. Imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY.

	2000 Moccagatta, Barbera d'Alba, DOC ($15.99) This wine is deep, dark purple in color and has great legs. The nose is beautiful, with currants followed by some barnyard nuances. Medium bodied, there's a distinctive concentration of red-cherry flavors followed by tobacco underpinnings. It's perfectly structured, with good acidity and plenty of length. It finishes nicely with tobacco and tart plums. This wine was spectacular with the burgers, cutting through the meat fat and delivering loads of spice. Another star of this tasting. Imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY.

	2001 Elio Altare, Barbera d'Alba, DOC ($19.99) Deep purple in color, with long, thick legs, this wine has a nose of rock candy, with jammy fruit and some anise as well. Medium to full bodied, it's beautifully structured, with plenty of extract and soft, supple tannins. The silky mouthfeel is counterbalanced by crisp acidity. Red-berry and black-cherry flavors predominate. It has a lot of length and finishes nicely with anise notes. It served like a sauce for the burgers. Imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY.

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