Wine: Ricossa Barbera d’Asti
Country: Italy
Region: Piemonte
Designation: Barbera d’Asti DOCG
Brand/Producer: Ricossa
Grape Varietal: Barbera
ABV: 13.5%
Type: Red
Code: 1913


Tasting Note
Rich ruby color with traditional ruby highlights. The bouquet consists of blackberries, cherries, grandma's homemade jam, and a touch of vanilla. The wine has a medium structure, soft tannins, and an elegant finish.

Producer
The Ricossa family trace their origins back to the late 1800s when Lorenzo Ricossa founded a distillery in Asti in Piemonte. He started producing wine and was recognised with various awards crowning him with accolades for his fine Piemonte wines. The winery is now owned by Mondo del Vino with the company displaying the same passion for viticulture and quality as Lorenzo. The winery today has worked with the same farmers going back over 20 years. Today the company produces wines from Roero, Langhe and Monferrato with these regions being declared UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2014.

Winemaking
Barbera grapes for this wine are sourced from the Nizza district of Monferrato and undergo traditional winemaking with a 10-day maceration on the skins and temperature controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks. This is followed by malolactic fermentation which tempers the natural tannins of the fruit and adds a mild creaminess.

Fun Fact
The name Monferrato originates from an ancient challenge. The Emperor Otto I, decided to donate to the Marquis Aleramo, in love with his daughter Adelasia, all the lands that he could managed to travel on horseback in 3 days. During the ride Aleramo used a brick (mun) to shoe (frà) the horses. The lands he travelled took the name of Monferrato.

Food pairing
Barbera goes well with typical specialties of the Piedmontese cuisine, such as agnolotti (similar to ravioli), grilled meat, assorted meat-based dishes, ravioli, and medium-aged cheeses.

Awards & Accolades
Gold Medal         2019 Japan’s Sakura Women’s Wine Awards
87 Points             2017 tastings.com “Highly recommended”
Silver Medal       2018 International Wine Challenge