Barbera bianca

Did You Know?

• Barbera bianca is a mid-ripening variety prone to high yields if not controlled by winter pruning and late-season green harvesting.
• Even at full ripeness, the grapes retain very high levels of tartaric acid.
• Synonyms for Barbera bianca include Bertolino, Lardera, Martinella, and Peisìn.

History

The exact origins of Barbera bianca are not known, but it has been growing in Piedmont since at least the early 19th century, as it was described in an 1825 document. Ampelographers believe the grape received its name from morphological similarities to Barbera, particularly in berry and cluster size and shape. DNA profiling in the early 21st century, however, showed the two are distinct varieties with no known genetic relationship.

Wine regions

In 2000, nearly all of the 280 hectares of Barbera bianca in Italy were in the province of Alessandria, most commonly in older vineyards around Acqui Terme and Alessandria. The grape is often blended with Cortese, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, Timorasso, and Vermentino to temper its high acidity. Some winemakers use its acidity for light-bodied sparkling wines, and it is a permitted variety in the Colli Tortonesi DOC.

Relationship to other grapes

Barbera bianca is not a color mutation of Barbera and has no known genetic relationship with that Piedmontese grape. Despite sharing synonyms, it also has no known relation with Carica l'Asino, another Piedmontese grape sometimes blended with it. The red Campanian grape Barbera del Sannio and the Sardinian Barbera Sarda are also unrelated to Barbera bianca.