Barbera first appeared in 1798, in a draft of the first ampelography of the grapevines grown in the Piedmont territory completed by Count Nuvolone, under the name “Vitis vinifera Montisferratensis.” The denomination comes from the historical name of the hill region, a primary centre even today for Barbera grape vine cultivation: Monferrato. It is likely that the Barbera grape variety originated with a spontaneous cross of seeds from even older grape vines. It is certain that the Barbera grape vine has very ancient origins, although the documents that provide evidence of it only go back several centuries. The main formal evidence of Barbera can be found in a document from the 18th century conserved in the municipal hall of Nizza Monferrato. In chronological order, the first praise received by Barbera comes from an account by Paolo Diacono. It tells of the Battle of Refrancore in 663. The Lombard ranks of Grimaldo defeated the Franks after getting them drunk on wine from the cellars nearby. It is said that for the occasion the Lombards filled numerous vats with this wine and purposely distributed them around the fields. These served as a decoy for the Franks who greedily emptied them. Today the Barbera wine represents approximately 50% of the entire grape-growing production in Piedmont. There is no doubt that Barbera is Piedmont’s wine par excellence, the wine which is inseparably bound to the grape-growing image of the Region.

In the designation and presentation of the wines with Guaranteed and Controlled Denomination of Origin “Barbera del Monferrato superiore” the addition of any qualification other than that provided for in the production regulations is prohibited. It is permitted to use indications which refer to names, types of companies, or private brands, as long as they are not panegyrical and do not mislead the consumer. In the designation and presentation of the wines with Guaranteed and Controlled Denomination of Origin “Barbera del Monferrato superiore, ” the denomination of origin may be accompanied by the wording “vigna” or vineyard, followed by the corresponding place name, provided that: - the grapes all come from the same vineyard; - this detail is registered in the “ Positive list” established by the organization which keeps the Register of Vineyards with the denomination;- the winemaking and aging must take place in separate receptacles and the wording “vigna, ” followed by the place name, must be included in the grape harvest report, and in the registers and documents that accompany it; - the wording “vigna” followed by the relative place name must be displayed on the label in letters which are smaller or equal to 50% of the lettering used for the denomination of origin “Barbera del Monferrato superiore.” In the designation and presentation of wines with the guaranteed and controlled denomination of origin “Barbera del Monferrato superiore,” it is mandatory to indicate the year in which the grapes were harvested.