2015 Helwig Frenchmen’s Creek Barbera ($35) Dave Helwig had a dream to move to the wine country upon retirement. After searching with his wife, Nancy, for the perfect wine region to relocate to from their home in Southern California, Dave couldn’t...
While Barbera is originally from Italy, it was brought to California by Italian immigrants in the 19th century. Much of it was originally grown in California’s Central Valley where it has been widely used as a blend component in mass-produced jug w...
Last time we began looking at Barbera, a wine that in Italy has traditionally been produced as an inexpensive table wine to be enjoyed regularly with meals. It’s not been hailed as a great wine - there are other Italian wines that get that spotlight....
My “Ah ha” moment with wine involved a Berbera. “A what?” I asked. I’d never heard of it and really, really liked it. Barbera (Bar-BEAR-ah) is a grape that is grown throughout Italy, especially in the Piedmont region. It is Italy’s third most grown ...
California’s Gold Rush of the 1850s included the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. As fortune seekers flocked to the Sierras to prospect for gold, small wineries also began to appear. But the decline of gold mining in the late ...
Last time we took a look at Barbera, a wine that hasn’t gotten the respect it deserves. And, I mentioned that my first exposure to Barbera was a real eye-opening experience. Unfortunately, in California, the Barbera grape has predominately been us...
Several years ago, while visiting northern California, I was served a glass of red wine from Amador County that made me do a double-take. When I asked what is was, I was told but the varietal didn’t mean anything to me. I ended up having another gla...