Why Italy’s Nizza Appellation Makes the Best Barbera in the World

In 2014, with little fanfare, the Nizza appellation in the Asti region of Monferrato in Piedmont was created, giving this Barbera d’Asti sub-area its own, high-quality Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) appellation. It’s now been ten years since this happened, but wine moves slowly — finally, people are starting to talk about this niche region, its high standards, and its truly delicious wines. 

While the rest of Italy often sees Barbara as a ubiquitous workhorse grape, people in Nizza cherish and respect it; studies suggest it originated with wild vines in the local Monferrato area. And it’s in the Nizza vineyards where Barbera truly finds the best growing spots, at least according to many producers, sommeliers, and importers.

David Giuliano, the Italian portfolio manager for New York’s Regal Wine Imports, says, “In the Langhe region, where you find the Nebbiolo grape, Barbera will always get the second-quality parcel of the vineyard, but in Nizza, Barbera gets its day in the sun. There it can fully mature on hillside sites that in the Langhe would be reserved for Nebbiolo.” Essentially, by devoting the best vineyard sites to Barbera, Nizza wine automatically sets higher standards for the variety than anywhere else in the world.

Nizza DOCG requirements are rather strict. Wines must be 100 percent Barbera, production areas are limited to those with south-west to south-east exposures, and vineyards must have a minimum of 4,000 vines per hectare (2.47 acres) with a maximum average of ten buds per vine. There are also specific yield requirements, and minimum barrel and bottle aging requirements.  (The name of the grape itself is not mentioned on the label, either, which is typical of many European appellations.)

What does Nizza DOCG wine taste like?

Nizza DOCG wines are  powerful, complex, full-bodied expressions of the Barbera grape. In the glass, they typically have an intense ruby-red color, shifting towards crimson as the wine ages.  Aromas tend to suggest ripe red cherries and sweet, spicy chocolate. While there are stylistic differences from winery to winery, of course, Nizza DOCG wines usually have alluring flavors of ripe red cherries, red plums and juicy pomegranate, sometimes ending on a savory note suggesting wild mushrooms. They feel velvety and complex, balancing refreshing acidity and modest tannins. 

Beki Miller, beverage manager and sommelier at Wolfgang Puck’s Caramá in Las Vegas, loves wines from Nizza: “They particularly show well with some age, and have great structure compared to Barberas from Alba and Asti.”

Pairing Nizza DOCG wines with food

Miller says the “crunchy acidity” she finds in Nizza wine makes it pair ideally with cured meats and aged cheeses, and also pizza. Dana Beninati, the chef and sommelier behind New York’s Dine with Dana, says Nizza wines are “elegant and inviting, making them an easy choice when welcoming guests to a dinner party. I love serving them with snacks that have a good bit of salt and spice, too, like black pepper Kettle chips, hunks of aged cheese, or something like a caramelized onion focaccia.”

Both Beninati and Stephano Chiarlo, winemaker and co-CEO of Michele Chiarlo winery and president of the Nizza Producers Association, love pairing Nizza wine with pork or veal ragù.  Beninati also suggests a simple pastrami sandwich. “For me, the pastrami spice rub and the fattiness of beef brisket bring out the best in Nizza reds,” she says. “Especially if you serve them with a slight chill.”

As more Nizza DOCG wines come to the U.S. market, the region’s excellent Barberas are definitely becoming easier to find. Here are four producers to look for.

Nizza DOCG producers to seek out

Ricossa

With roots in Piedmont dating back to the 1800’s, the Ricossa family is known for producing classic wines that express the cultural and gastronomic tradition of the region. Ricossa’s 2019 Lorenzo Ricossa Noceto Nizza ($28) is a stunning example, with elegant balsamic hints of thyme and sage, and finish that suggests licorice, vanilla and cocoa.

Michele Chiarlo

Michele Chiarlo has been making Piedmontese wines from some of the finest crus since 1956, and is one of the pioneers of the Nizza designation. For Nizza DOCG wines, look for its 2021 La Court Vigna Veja Barbera d’Asti Superiore Nizza ($67) and 2022 Cipressi Nizza ($32). Produced only in excellent vintages and in limited quantities, La Court offers notes of concentrated black fruits, rhubarb, and chocolate with a long, velvety finish.  Cipressi is less concentrated, with elegant cherry, raspberry and sweet tobacco notes on the nose. 

Frasca

New kids on the block, the Frasca family returned to Italy with the desire to make elegant, terroir-expressive wines in Nizza Monferrato. They brought Asti-born winemaker Matteo Gerbi, making the most of his Langhe Barolo pedigree and his passion for Nizza Monferrato, back to an area he felt was underappreciated. Together, they acquired the La Guaragna estate in 2019. 

The grapes for their first vintage 2020 Frasca Nizza ($32) were grown in estate’s sustainably farmed, hill-top vineyard La Guaragna, producing a brilliantly red, medium-bodied Barbera with plum, currant, and raspberry aromas, that finishes on a rustic, earthy note and soft tannins. 

Cascina Guido Berta

The son of vine growers, Guido Berta took to managing his family business and opened a wine cellar at a young age in the 1990s. Berta largely focuses on growing Barbera, farming sustainably (and working towards fully organic practices). His 2021 Guido Berta Nizza ($30) offers an intense garnet-red hue and aromas of cherries and red plums, with subtle hints of cocoa; those luscious red-fruit flavors continue on the palate.