Is there anything more savory, food-friendly or just plain delicious than a well-made Barbera? It’s the one grape that nature endowed with all the right pieces to effortlessly produce a wine with both the treble and bass on eleven! Our search for great Barbera takes us in so many directions but none more productive and exciting than the Monferrato hills of northern Piemonte. While a lavishly fruited Barbera d’Alba from the heart of Barolo/Barbaresco-producing country can indeed be delicious, it is here, in these rolling hills of iron (i.e. Mon-ferrato!), where Barbera can reach its apotheosis- the perfect balance of deep, dark fruit and life-giving fresh acidity. And while a simple Barbera d’Asti can be one of life’s real pleasures (and deals), it’s within the small, carefully delineated area near the booming metropolis of Nizza (just kidding about the ‘booming’ part) where Barbera truly reaches its full potential. Nizza now is to Barbera what Barolo is to Nebbiolo or Dogliani is to Dolcetto- a geographically-named ‘super’ appellation within a much larger region. It has its own growing and production parameters, wine approval process and DOCG. We’ve already featured a few stellar examples from the appellation like Oddero’s and the Titon from L’Armangia that really rung our chimes, but we’re particularly in love with Guido Berta’s 2019 Nizza he calls Canto di Luna. The current vintage is 2019 but the wine still looks, right out of the bottle, like it was just bottled. From 35-year old vines Berta now farms organically in San Marzano Oliveto, right in the heart of the ‘Golden Triangle’ that encompasses the Nizza growing region, it was fermented in stainless and aged for 24 months in small barriques, a treatment that added only texture and nuance as opposed to oak flavor. Still fresh as a daisy, at five years past the harvest, it’s a wine whose time has come! It’s deep, earthy, chocolate-y fruit is in perfect harmony with what once must have once been really obvious acidity. Now it’s just a seamless whole that will smoothly partner with all kinds of food. In Nizza, it’s at home with Ristorante Due Lanterne’s deliciously rich ravioli and braised beef and rabbit dishes but you can try it with anything from a platter of salumi and cheese to a steak off the grill and love the results. And, while we’re not label shoppers per se, we can say that a bottle of Berta’s Nizza Canto di Luna looks almost as good in the bottle as it tastes in the glass! Drink now.