Barbera bianca is a white Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Piedmont wine region of northwest Italy. Despite being named ''Barbera bianca'', the grape is not a color mutation of the red Piedmontese wine grape Barbera that is the third most widely planted grape variety in Italy. In fact,

DNA analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

conducted in the early 21st century shows no genetic relationship at all between the two grape varieties.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 85–88, 187 Allen Lane 2012 Barbera bianca is noted for its high acidity levels, the vast majority of it tartaric rather than malic acid. This propensity for high acid lends the grape well to sparkling wine production. Barbera bianca is a permitted grape variety in the '' Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) wines of

Colli Tortonesi Colli may refer to: Places of Italy ;Municipalities (''comuni'') *Colli a Volturno, in the province of Isernia *Colli del Tronto, in the province of Ascoli Piceno *Colli sul Velino, in the province of Rieti ;Civil parishes (''frazioni'') *Colli ( ...

produced in the province of Alessandria.

History

The exact origins of Barbera bianca are not yet known but the grape has been growing in the Piedmont region of Italy since at least the early 19th century when it was described in an 1825 document. Ampelographers believe that the grape got its name due to morphological similarities with Barbera, particularly the size and shape of the berries and grape clusters of both vines. However, DNA profiling in the early 21st century showed that the two grapes are distinct varieties with no known genetic relationship between them.

Viticulture

Barbera bianca is a mid-ripening grape variety that is prone to producing high yields if not kept in check with winter pruning and late season

green harvesting Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

. Even at full ripeness, the grapes have very high levels of tartaric acid.

Wine regions

In 2000, there were 280 hectares (690 acres) of Barbera bianca planted in Italy, nearly all of it in the province of Alessandria. It is most commonly found in older vineyards around the communes of Acqui Terme and

Alessandria Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin. Alessandria ...

. Here the grape is often blended with other white wine grape varieties such as Cortese, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains,

Timorasso Timorasso is a white Italian wine grape variety grown primarily in the Piedmont wine region of northwest Italy. There it is used to make aromatic wine with some aging potential as well as the pomace brandy specialty of '' grappa''.J. Robinson ' ...

and Vermentino which can help temper Barbera bianca's high acid levels. Some winemakers utilize the grape's acidity for the production of light-bodied sparkling wines. It is a permitted variety in the white wines of the Colli Tortonesi DOC.

Relationship to other grapes

Unlike the relationship between Pinot blanc and Grenache blanc with

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

and

Grenache Grenache () or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditi ...

, respectively, Barbera bianca is not a color mutation of Barbera and, in fact, has no known genetic relationship with Piedmontese grape. Despite sharing several synonyms, Barbera bianca also has no known relation with Carica l'Asino, another Piedmontese grape that likely originated in the

Liguria wine Liguria is an Italian wine region located in the northwest region of Italy along the Italian Riviera. It is bordered by the Piedmont wine region to the north, the Alps and French wine region of Provence to the west, the Apennine Mountains and the ...

region and is sometimes blended with Barbera bianca. Likewise, the red Campanian grape

Barbera del Sannio ''Barbera del Sannio'' is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Campania region of southern Italy. Despite the similarities in name and appearance, the grape has no close genetic relationship with the Piedmont wine grapes Barbera or ...

that is used in the

Sannio DOC Samnium ( it, Sannio) is a Latin exonym for a region of Southern Italy anciently inhabited by the Samnites. Their own endonyms were ''Safinim'' for the country (attested in one inscription and one coin legend) and ''Safineis'' for the The ...

and the

Sardinian wine Sardinian wine is Italian wine produced on the island of Sardinia.T. Stevenson, ed. ''The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia (5th Edition)'' pgs 347-357 Dorling Kindersley (2011) Grape varieties *Albaranzeuli bianco *Albaranzeuli nero *Arvesiniadu *Barbe ...

grape

Barbera Sarda Barbera Sarda is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown on the island of Sardinia where it often used to add acidity to blends. Despite the similarities in their names, there is no known close genetic relationship between the Sardinian Barb ...

are also unrelated to Barbera bianca.

Synonyms

Over the years Barbera bianca has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Bertolino, Bertoulin, Caria l'Aso, Lardera, Lardera bianca, Lardera delle Langhe, Martinella, Martinetta, Ovata bianca, Peigein, Peigin, Peisìn, Peisin, Poison bianco, Poisino and Uva Ovata. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC)
Barbera bianca
' Accessed: May 21st, 2013

References

{{reflist White wine grape varieties