Barbera
⏳ Drinking Window
2023 - 2026
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Pasta with rich meat ragù, wood-fired sausage pizza, roasted pork loin
✨ Technical Specifications
Scheid Vineyards' estate-grown Barbera is a brilliant expression of this classic Piedmontese grape thriving in the unique terroir of southern Monterey County, particularly the Hames Valley AVA. In this sheltered appellation, intense daytime heat is followed by dramatic evening cooling, allowing the Barbera grapes to develop rich, ripe dark fruit flavors while preserving their signature vibrant acidity. Scheid's winemaking team carefully ages the wine in oak barrels to soften the grape's naturally robust structure, adding subtle layers of toasted oak, vanilla, and spice. This creates a beautifully balanced, food-friendly red wine that bridges Old World rustic charm with New World fruit intensity.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1972 by pioneer Al Scheid, Scheid Vineyards began as an ambitious viticultural venture in southern Monterey County, initially supplying fruit to major California wineries before evolving into a vertically integrated estate wine producer. Spanning more than 3,000 acres across a 70-mile expanse of the Salinas Valley—encompassing microclimates across the Monterey, Arroyo Seco, and Hames Valley AVAs—the estate leverages thermal diurnal shifts driven by maritime winds off Monterey Bay. Viticulture balances alluvial gravel, decomposed granite, and clay-loam soils across twelve distinct ranch sites, farmed under SIP Certified and Certified California Sustainable standards, with the winery fully powered by an onsite wind turbine. Winemaking prioritizes varietal clarity, tension, and texture across an eclectic portfolio, celebrated for vibrant Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, aromatic Viognier, racy Dry Riesling, and rare regional white bottlings such as Petit Manseng and Roussanne.
🍇 Grapes
Barbera
🍷 ABV
14.5%