Agostino Pavia & Figli

Expressively scented Piedmont red with juicy black cherry, sweet blueberry, and dark chocolate notes. Inky and concentrated, with a sleek texture, seductive style and superb length.

There's good, muscular concentration and balance with the typical acidity of Barbera keeping this a refreshing, appetizing wine throughout a meal.

Barbera d'Asti is always made from Barbera, which is Italy’s third most planted red grape variety after Sangiovese and Montepulciano.

It was given DOC (appellation) status in 1970, and was upgraded to the top DOCG tier in 2008. Under the rules, at least 85% Barbera must be used; the balance may be made up with Freisa, Grignolino or Dolcetto grapes.

The gently oaked sibling of our ever-popular Blina, this is also a Barbera of intense ruby colour and beautiful fruity aromas, but four months' aging in eighty-hectolitre barrels gives flavours with light notes of spice and a supple texture.

There's every reason to try this zippy and refreshing medium-bodied red, which is perfect for tomato-based dishes, meatier fish, or drinking on its own.

Powerful and fleshy super-premium Barbera with a dense, unctuous texture, intense rasperry jam, clove, and caramel flavours, and a lingering finish that seems to go on forever.

This is a 'big' wine that calls for hearty, savoury food—roast beef or lamb— to show at its best, and it will certainly repay decanting for two or three hours before drinking.

It was great good news to hear from Mauro Pavia that the 2016 vintage of this wine had earned 97/100 and thus a Platinum Medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2019:

‘This is a cracking Barbera, modern in style with elegant black fruit and chocolate aromatics. Very rich, opulent and concentrated palate; powerful but not overwhelming, with enough acidity to balance the fruit and well-integrated oak. Spicy, lingering finish. Delicious stuff!’

97/100 Decanter World Wine Awards 2019

The Pavias consider their pure Barberas the flagships of the fleet, but there's room in the range for this complementary Monferrato, which blends a little Syrah into the recipe.

The rules of the Monferrato appellation are quite lenient, and several red grapes are permitted, with the greatest scope given to wines aiming for the Rosso designation.

The Pavias' Monferrato, 'Talin', is slightly unusual in adding Syrah rather than, say, Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc, but their choice pays off in the concentration and hint of spice that the 'international' grape brings to the mix.

'Talin' is an aromatic, fruity wine with freshness and warm depth in lingering harmony. It's a little broader in its fruit intensity than the pure Barberas, and a year's ageing in French oak casks promotes those secondary flavours and enhances the smooth structure of the wine.

A crisp red? Well, yes—Grignolino d'Asti fits that description pretty well.

This is a local speciality of Piedmont that has been left in the shade in recent times by an international appetite for the region's bigger, darker wines, such as Barolo and Barbaresco.

For those who enjoy an authentic taste of something different, though, the Grignolino grape variety offers pale colour, bright blackcurrant and strawberry aromas, and a combination of high acidity and grippy tannins alongside generous juicy fruit.

Grignolino means 'pippy', and refers to the relatively high number of seeds in each grape. For the winemaker, the challenge is to express the variety's potential for delicate aromatics without including too much of the tannin stored in those pips.

Spicy and just about medium-bodied, the Pavias' Grignolino has appealing aromas of strawberries and redcurrants, with peppery herb notes. There's plenty of ripe fruit freshness in the mouth, and cleansing grip that makes this a really good lunchtime or light meal partner for creamy sauces, pasta with squash or pumpkin, and rabbit or duck dishes.

Time will gradually subdue its arresting energy, but you should certainly try a bottle of this vigorous, appetizing wine in its high-voltage youth before making any cellaring decisions.