Castelvero Barbera d'Asti 2007

This innocuous looking bottle is quite frankly the best wine bargain that I've experienced at Sainsbury's for ages.

Lovely cherry fruit, a bit of that Italian leather character, some grippy tannin, it's all here. For £4.65.

Buy some. Buy loads. You won't get a better deal anywhere. Ever.

Castelvero

Barbera d'Asti 2007

Piedmont, Italy

Sainsbury's

£4.65 (£6.99)

3/5

Vinchio Vaglio 'I Tre Vescovi' Barbera d'Asti Superiore 2007

Like the Brachetto, this is part of Waitrose's Mediterranean showcase, on for I think the next month.

I like Barbera. It produces good, reliable, everyday red (and also more expensive wines - see this month's Decanter magazine for details). It's usually fruity and has good acidity, and you don't need to spend a lot of money on it. I guess it's similar to bargain Chianti in that way.

This is on for £5.99, and is a good candidate for a case purchase. It has bright, cherry fruit and good aromatics. It's very short on the finish though, to the point where it seems a bit odd. Complex it isn't, but that's not really the point of these wines.

I may have to buy another bottle or two for further evaluation...

I just realized I've had something similar here.

Vinchio-Vaglio Serra

Barbera d'Asti Superiore 2007

Piedmont, Italy

£5.99 (£7.99)

3/5

Vinchio-Vaglio Serra Barbera 2007

This wine is produced by a co-op located in the commune of Vinchio, in the province of Asti, in Piedmont, Italy.  

I'm struggling to determine exactly what DOC this wine belongs to.  It's just called "Barbera" on the label, but as far as I know there is no such DOC called just plain "Barbera".  Since the winery is located in Asti, it could be a Barbera d'Asti, but the Waitrose website says it's from the region of Monferrato (which encompasses both the provinces of Asti and Alessandria), so does that make it a Barbera del Monferrato?  The Vinchio-Vaglio website is no help either, this wine isn't even listed on it (made for supermarket?).  At this point I'm beyond caring.

For some reason, it seems to be a crime for a winery to list a wine they make specifically for a corporate customer (like a supermarket) on their website.  It says the name of the winery on the bottle, why not on the website?  The winery would certainly benefit from the exposure.  If anyone can tell me, please send me an email.

The wine itself is pretty good.  It's everything you'd want from a £6 Barbera.  Perfumed, cherryish nose and palate, and easy drinking. Recommended.

Vinchio-Vaglio Serra

Barbera 2007

Waitrose

£5.99

3/5

Tesco Finest Barbera d'Asti Superiore 2004

The first time I tried this wine, it was horribly and very obviously corked. I tried to return it to Tesco for a refund or exchange, and was told that they couldn't do that without the receipt, which I didn't have. I thought this was a bit unreasonable, considering it's a "Tesco Finest" wine. Where else would I have bought it? I guess company policy is company policy, but you think they could have stretched the rules a bit in the name of good customer service.

I liked this wine. It is quite rich and savoury, with a core of almost sweet fruit. It's heavier than other Barberas I've had in the same price range. 2004 was also a good vintage for Piedmontese reds.

Tesco
Tesco Finest Barbera d'Asti Superiore 2004
Piedmont, Italy
£31.29 (£39.84) 6 bottle case
3.5/5