Barbera del Monferrato Superiore

🇮🇹 Italy

DOCG

DOCG 2008 - overlaps Barbera d'Asti, Alessandria focus, 13% alcohol, 14-month aging, 1512 earliest record

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Region profile

History

Barbera grape earliest documented 1512 (pre-dating most Piedmont varieties). Lower + Upper Monferrato historical heartland. DOC designation established earlier. DOCG 2008 simultaneous with Barbera d'Asti Superiore, recognizing premium Alessandria-focused production. Growing areas largely overlap with Barbera d'Asti, creating regional complexity. Most producers opt for Barbera d'Asti name despite overlapping terroir. Michele Chiarlo acquired Tenuta La Court 1995 (20ha Castelnuovo Calcea).

Climate
Continental Monferrato; Alessandria + Asti provinces; 250 communes Lower + Upper Monferrato; overlapping growing areas with Barbera d'Asti; warmer Alessandria microclimate
Signature wines
Tenuta La Tenaglia "1930 Una buona annata" (historic vineyards), Vicara "Cascina Rocca 33", Michele Chiarlo Monferrato bottlings (overlapping terroir specialist since 1956)
What sets it apart
Overlaps Barbera d'Asti growing areas (250 communes vs 167); Alessandria province focus; higher alcohol minimum (13% vs 12.5%); blending flexibility (15% other grapes); 1512 earliest Barbera documentation; most producers choose Barbera d'Asti name despite terroir; regional complexity

Facts

  • ~4,300 hectares total Barbera del Monferrato region (DOC + DOCG)
  • 250 communes Alessandria + Asti
  • DOCG 2008
  • 1512 earliest documented Barbera evidence
  • overlaps Barbera d'Asti growing areas
  • higher alcohol requirement (13% vs 12.5%)
  • most producers choose Barbera d'Asti DOCG name (market recognition)

Region profile from the Wine Memories wine-data corpus · verified January 2026