1996 Solus Ad Barbera D'Asti question

I won a magnum of this wine yesterday at a wine tasting and having no experience with this wine was wondering about the drinking window and what to expect. I know that 1996 was a good vintage in the Piedmont area. Thanks.

Drew

Hi Drew,
I’m not familiar with that particular vintage wine, but the Barbera grape has the ability too age very gracefully. Generally it has great acidity and a pH (meaning it does have longevity). The downside is that it only has moderate to light tannins, so depending upon, the actual make-up of the wine (my father and I like blending our home-made Barbera with a grape with higher tannin content) and barrel regime the wine saw before being released (my home-made wine can see 2 to 3 years sometimes longer in more neutral barrels), it could age quite a long time. Personally however, since I love Barbera, I wouldn’t wait too long. Are you planning a special Italian dinner in the near future?

You might find the following “Iron Chevsky Blog” interesting;
http://www.chevsky.com/2009/11/aging-barbera.html

Salute