Barbera d'Alba

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Geological origin of Tertiary (Cenozoic) age: 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, well suited to viticulture.
• White tuffaceous marl characterises the higher hills of the appellation, overlooking the Tanaro river.
• Sub-zone Castellinaldo (left orographic bank of the Tanaro): looser soils with a higher sand content compared to the other communes.
• Predominant vineyard aspect: south-west-facing slopes, with vertical trellis training and Guyot pruning.

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

• Barbera may be blended with Nebbiolo to soften the grape variety's characteristic acidity.
• Capable of both early drinking and medium-term cellaring, preserving the variety's original character over time.

• Sub-zone Castellinaldo (left bank of the Tanaro): looser, sandier soils historically yield wines distinct from those of the other communes within 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