The Vite Colte winery is sort of hard to miss when one drives down Via Alba road from Castiglione Falletto into Barolo. Its sleek, award-winning modern architecture sits amongst the vines right at the fork in the road bisecting the Cannubi vineyard where the prongs lead to either side of Barolo castle. It’s a cooperative winery with 180 farmers contributing over 300 hectares of vines in the Langhe and Asti regions. For its size, it’s remarkably quality oriented and, unlike most other cooperativi in Italy, the growers are compensated based on quality not quantity. They produce a host of wines including some six different regional Barolo bottlings, but they have real strength in the Asti region from which they bottle, among other things, four different Barbera-based wines and a Nizza Riserva. Their top wine from Asti is the wood-matured Barbera d’Asti La Luna e I Falò. Named after the iconic post-war novel translated as The Moon and the Bonfires by favorite son Piemontese author Cesare Pavese. Set in Santo Stefano di Belbo d’Asti, where most of these Barbera grapes are grown, it’s a bittersweet ode to this lovely area. As is the wine. Bittersweet is almost the perfect way to describe a good Barbera and the rich, ripe, plummy fruit of Vite Colte’s La Lunae I Falò is, indeed, offset by Barbera’s wonderfully fresh natural acidity. The year in used small French oak barrels adds only texture and interest rather than wood flavor to a middle-weight, extremely food-friendly red that seems just made for red sauced pastas, earthy braised and grilled meats and even grilled fish like salmon and trout. Winner of a Tre Bicchieri award from Gambero Rosso and garnering fine scores from everyone else in Europe who knows this wine, it’s truly a Barbera Bargain worth stocking up on! To help you along, let’s put a case special on that makes it almost irresistible! 

Falstaff: Rich ruby red with a slightly brightening edge. An intense nose of light malt and violets, then wild berries and a touch of bitter dark chocolate chocolate. On the palate it's fruity-sweet with supple tannins, making for a gluggable glass with a long finish. 92 points.

Decanter: This barrique-aged Barbera is sourced from a mix of different soils and microclimates across the estate's 60ha planted to the variety, creating what Vite Colte describes as a ‘superBarbera’. Subtle aromas of crushed rock and ripe black and red berries introduce a spicy, concentrated palate with a creamy background overlaid by poised, balsam-infused black and red fruits. There's some earthy depth here, too, and a well sculpted feel which is more vertical than horizontal, with – crucially – freshness to balance the concentration. Delicious. 92 points

Luca Maroni: one of the best Italian red wines of the year" 97 points