Barbera is the way Italians see red

Barbera is Italy's big everyday red wine.

Italians drink it with lunch or dinner. Barberas usually go better with food than by themselves, but that doesn't mean every barbera is inexpensive or of lesser quality.

Barbera wines come in a wide range of prices and quality.

The other most popularly priced Italian red wine, dolcetto, compares somewhat to the French Beaujolais, while barbera is more like pinot noir in body but much drier.

Barbera is one of the oldest known grapes, its origins going back many centuries. Some wine drinkers will prefer an aged, quality barbera over the more famous Italian red, Barolo.

I asked the wine-tasting group to compare five barberas ranging in price from $8.99 to $43.99. Here is what we found in our blind tasting:

- 2001 Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti La Court at $43.99. The aroma suggested leather, clove and gamay grapes along with black cherries -- a very complex nose. In the mouth, the wine was very smoky and well balanced. "This is a very nice wine," one taster said. It ranked first and when we uncovered the bottle, it was clear why at this price -- a superb bottle of wine.

- 2001 Virna Barbera d'Alba San Giovanni at $18.99. This was a much more fruity wine than the Chiarlo, made in the New World style that emphasizes the fruit. In addition to dark berries, we found hints of orange. The aroma also reminded us of tea, basil and pepper. Several tasters thought this wine would be great with seared tuna.

- 2001 Marchesi di Barolo Maraia Barbera at $8.99. This wine offered us smells and tastes of cranberries, lots of spice, licorice and a bit of earthiness. All this presented us with an unusual combination of flavors, but if you like them, the wine was well made for this price.

- 2002 Fiulot Barbera d'Asti Prunotto at $14.99. We smelled sweet balsamic vinegar, lots of strawberries, cherries, root beer and beets in this aroma. It had good structure, balance and acidity. This would be a good wine with antipasto.

- 2000 Conterno d'Alba at $25.99. When first opened, this wine had a matchstick aroma that quickly blew off, replaced by savory aromas of black tea, dried herbs, parsley and hay. In the mouth, we tasted strawberries, black cherries and sun-dried tomatoes.

Surfing the wine shelves

- 2003 Stoneleigh Chardonnay at $16. This wine offered aromas of orange and tropical fruit. On the palate, it was creamy with hints of oak and more tropical fruit.

- 2000 Bighorn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon at $30. We found aromas of green peppers and hints of red fruit. In the mouth, we tasted cherries, but the tannins dominated the fruit.

- 1998 Coto Real Reserva at $42. This wine, released in 2004, should cellar well for seven to 10 years, yet if you were to open it today, it would deliver aromas of blackberries and raspberries with a pleasing hint of Old World mustiness. Its crisp robust flavors included balsamic, vanilla and spice.

- 2003 Trinchero Merlot at $12. This dark, lush, fruity wine smelled of plum, ripe cherries and cedar that followed through in smooth, rich tastes.

- 2001 Villa Antinori at $23. This Tuscan wine is a blend of sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah. It carried aromas of berries and wood. In the mouth it had plenty of tannins and wood, making it a good food wine. Pair it with beef, game and aged cheeses to soften the tannins.

- 2002 Chateau Souverain Alexander Valley Syrah at $20. Floral aromas blended with scents of basil, smoke and vanilla met the nose. Blended with petite syrah and mourvedre, this wine offered tastes of black pepper, leather, black fruit wrapped in a smooth, balanced, easy-to-drink wine.

- 2002 Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon at $25. This cab smelled of lush blackberries, leather and tobacco. It had complex layers of flavors from plum and cherry at the beginning to chocolate and toffee toward the end, all wrapped in a silky texture with smooth, firm tannins.

Questions may be sent to Frank Sutherland, editor, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville 37203, or e-mailed to editor@tennessean.com.