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Shooting Star Reds
JED STEELE'S SHOOTING STAR
BARBERA
LAKE COUNTY
For those of you not familiar with this varietal, you are in for a surprising treat. Those of you who know Barbera will be very pleased with our take on the grape that traditionally grows in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. The bright fruit, hinting of plums, lively spiciness and crisp acidity make this an extremely versatile food wine. It has become a real hit with customers here in the tasting room. The grapes for our Barbera are sourced from the Dorn Vineyard located on a gravelly bench overlooking the Big Valley of Clear Lake at about 1500 feet elevation. Harvest proved to be ideal for the ripening of the Barbera grapes. Moderately high temperatures throughout the growing season, coupled with a warming spike a few weeks before harvest, brought up the sugar levels to complement the natural acidity for which this varietal is noted.
The grapes were fermented in small lots for 7 to 10 days, with the cap of grape skins punched down by hand two or three times per day into the underlying juice to extract the deep red colors of the berry. Jed wanted to emphasize the fruit character of the wine, so it was aged in mostly neutral (older) oak barrels, with some new American and Hungarian oak barrels used to extract a hint of oak flavor.
When pairing our Barbera with food, we immediately think tomato-based pasta dishes, pizza and the like. And yes this wine is perfect with these foods (some have in fact called it their Friday night pizza wine!) but it goes well beyond that. Since Piedmont is in the north of Italy, the local foods vary into richer cream-based dishes. Try this wine with wild mushroom ravioli in cream sauce and you will be convinced! Any way you serve it, we are sure you will be pleased. In past years, many Club members have re-ordered additional bottles of our Barbera once they have tried it, and it usually sells out quickly, so don’t be left out.
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