This is Barbera doing the job Barbera was born to do. The winery's own description is refreshingly blunt: pure Barbera vinified in concrete tanks according to the traditional style, with a light body, very fresh, fruity and easy to drink. No barrique, no vanilla, nothing standing between you and the fruit.

The estate is small and local to the heart of the appellation. Tenuta La Meridiana is a wine producer in Piedmont, specifically within the Barbera d'Asti production area, a family owned operation in the municipality of Castagnole Monferrato, focused on traditional Piedmontese varieties with a primary emphasis on Barbera. Founded in 1970, farming 25 hectares, with annual production around 150,000 bottles.

Site and farming Limestone, marly and clayey soil at 210 meters, southwest exposure, 4,800 vines, trained to Guyot, harvested manually. That southwest face is what gets Barbera's notoriously high acidity to ripen cleanly without pushing sugar.

Tasting notesA fresh and fragrant wine with intense fruity aromas of small red fruits such as cherry and blackberry. The simplicity and verticality of this wine make it suitable for all occasions.

• Colour: ruby red
• Nose: fruity with notes of cherry and blackberry, with a faint violet lift
• Palate: pleasant, fresh, fruity, light to medium bodied, bright acidity, almost no tannic grip
• Finish: clean and juicy, built for food rather than contemplation
• Drink: now through 2028
• Serve: 18°C, ideal throughout the meal, with salami, so a cool room temperature, not cellar cold

Track record for the label

The 2021 took 89 points from Wine Enthusiast, with enticing aromas of ripe blackberries, juicy plums and a sprinkle of exotic oak spice, lush and juicy on the palate with a concentrated burst of succulent black fruits, more subtle oak influence allowing the wine's natural vitality to shine through, delightfully tasty and irresistible. The community side backs it up, at 3.9 stars across 899 ratings.