Barbera - good vintages

With this vintage table you can see which years were good and which years can better be avoided for the purchase of a Barbera d' Asti, d' Alba or del Monferrato. Of course this list does not guarantee a good wine, there are more factors involved such as the winery and even the specific vineyard of the winery from which the specific bottle came from.

The quality of the vintage and if the wine has aged in wooden barrels or not depends on how long it can be kept. Normal Barbera wines (including the lightly sparkling Barbera del Monferrato Vivace) are not wines to keep for long, these are best drunk within 3 years. The more special Barbera wines like the Superiore as well as others that undergo longer wood aging can be kept to 10 and sometimes even 15 years.

It is difficult, if not impossible to indicate in general how long a Barbera wine can be kept. One way of indicating short to long age possibilities would be to simply look at the price, cheap Barbera's (under 8 euros) are most likely not wines that can be kept for long. When Superiore or a vineyard name is on the label, changes are that you can keep it for at least 5 years if not longer. Considering all factors involved it's best to ask the wine store keeper advise about the aging possibilities of the wine before purchasing.

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