The Barbera d'Asti Ca Del Matt 06/08 is a dense crimson in aspect, with aromas of ripe blackberries and autumnal fruits on the nose. On the palate, prominent warm tannins and good acidity support flavours of fleshy dark fruit, earthy spice and a long finish on which chocolate lingers. Pair with grilled meats.

Ca’ del Matt is a range of wines made in Piemonte by New Zealand winemaker Matt Thomson. His first experience of working with Italian Barbera was in 1994 and by 2000, he’d decided he would like to return to Piemonte. Already working on the Alpha Zeta and I Feudi wines in the Veneto and Fruili respectively, he had plenty of experience and good contacts so was able to find an excellent fruit source and the right winemaking facilities at the Cantina Sociale di Nizza.

He chose Nizza because the grapes from this area tend to ripen better than those from other parts of Asti, and therefore have lower acidity. Barbera is a variety with naturally low tannins but high acidity, so it needs the best sites to ripen fully. At the Nizza co-op, there are 500 hectares of vineyards to choose from, so Matt was able to select the best grapes for the Ca’ del Matt wines. Unusually for a co-op, Nizza pays its best growers by the hectare, enabling them to control how the grapes are grown, encouraging low yields and good husbandry which is reflected in the quality of the wines.

The range includes a Barbera d’Asti, Barbera Tere Caude and a Cortese. The name Ca’ del Matt means ‘house of the mad’, hinting at the difficulties in making really good, ripe Barbera.