Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/705606
Here Come the Italians! BY LAURA NESS Resurgence in the popularity of Italian varieties is fueling a demand that growers and winemakers are happy to fulfill. earing a tie-dyed T-shirt and sandals, Coo- per Vineyards winemaker Michael Roser, a self-proclaimed Deadhead and talented musician, peruses a map of the 90-acre Cooper Vineyard, which includes several blocks of Barbera, and exclaims, "Wow! Twenty-two acres of Barbera! I love the grape. We're up to 2,000 cases and it's our best-selling wine." You could call Roser a "Barberian," the affec- tionate term for one who's converted to the religion of this grape that his boss, grower Dick Cooper, seems to have elevated to near cult-like status in Amador County, Calif. Roser points to a framed dollar bill on which the legendary Darrel Corti, in answer to a din- ner party query regarding what grape varieties to plant, wrote the words "Barbera and Dolcetto." He couldn't find a piece of paper. It was prophet- ic, as the Coopers have subsequently made a Barbera buck or two off that sage advice. Many of the region's top winemakers covet Cooper fruit, and you will see more Cooper Vineyard-des- ignate Barbera than any other source, by far. For the first four years of its existence, the Barbera Festival, organized by Brian Miller and Deirdre Muller (Amador360.com), was held at the Cooper Ranch, a walnut-studded oasis of grapes along Shenandoah Road. It's now held each June at Montevina/Terra d'Oro, another large producer of Italian varieties in Plymouth, Calif. Roser says he's seeing the pendulum swing from Zinfandel as the official grape of Amador to Barbera, with Sangiovese on its heels. Coo- per grows the Brunello clone of Sangio, one of his best sellers. Although he agrees old-vine Zin- fandel will always have a following, he believes Italian varities are on the upswing for their acid- ity, energy and food-friendliness. "Four years ago, I told Dick that, in 10 years, Amador County will be known more for Barbera than Zinfandel," he says. Just in case he's right, they're adding more Barbera as well as Charbono. 3 4 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | J u l y - A u g 2 016 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m