Barbera d'Alba

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Tertiary (Cenozoic) geological origin: the Langhe were formed in an era that began nearly 70 million years ago.
• Dominant soil: Tortonian formation, composed of blue-grey marls and stratified sands, highly favorable to viticulture.
• White tufaceous marl characterizes the higher hills of the appellation zone, dominating the Tanaro river valley.
• Sub-zone Castellinaldo (orographic left bank of the Tanaro): looser soils with a higher sandy component compared to the other communes.
• Prevailing vineyard aspect: south-west-facing slopes, with espalier training and Guyot pruning.

• Dominant soils: white tufaceous marl and Tortonian terrain (blue-grey marls and sands), formed during the Tertiary Era (~70 million years ago).
• Espalier training with Guyot pruning on south-west-facing slopes; traditional small-proportion blending with Nebbiolo to balance Barbera's acidity.

• May be blended with Nebbiolo to temper the grape variety's characteristic high acidity.
• Capable of both early drinking and medium-term aging, preserving the grape variety's original character over time.

• Sub-zone Castellinaldo (left bank of the Tanaro): looser, sandier soils historically yield wines that are distinctly different from those of the other communes in the DOC.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A1068
• Official trade body site — Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani