The 2018 Vietti Barbera D’Asti Tre Vigne has 14.5% alcohol. Too much for a dinner wine. It cost under $20 and scored just 14+ points on the Dionysian scale of 20. There’s heat on the finish. Vietti is one of the best producers northern Italy and maybe it was the proposed tariff for wines under 14.5%. Who knows, but Barbera used to be a great dinner red.

Served with a pesto pasta that should have been great. The pasta saved the wine.

This DOCG level wine, at 12.5% years ago and even up to 13.5% more recently, has long been my favorite Barbera. If you agree, you’ll start looking to Souih America for your dinner reds. In Vino Veritas.