OK, that’s a different wine on the right, but I mistakenly threw the bottle away… So this is what I had in my cellar. Also a screaming good wine, just 2.4 times more expensive.

Paitin Barbera d’Alba “Serra Boella”
Piedmont, Northwest Italy
imported by Michael Skurnik ($15)
The label will look the same, with “Serra Boella” in all caps in the middle of the label. I love Italian wines, but I’ve noticed throughout my career that it’s a road less travelled. Barbera is not so dissimilar from Chianti, except that it should be lighter and brighter, with less bottle for bottle potential funkiness.

This Barbera exudes everything it should, hitting the three main points of fruit, tannin, and acid. Vivid red flavor, like pie cherries and cranberry, is bold enough to handle the acidity, and soft enough that it melds with the tannins. The tannin is light, like a proper cup of tea, and the aromas kind of remind me of tea, subtle earthy, herbal notes that add to the wine, without naming themselves. This is the bottle I recommend as your intro to Barbera.