Ceretto
Ceretto's single-vineyard Barbera d'Alba from a 2.75-hectare plot at Alba, fermented in steel to keep the fruit fresh: bright cherry and blackberry, violet lift, incisive acidity, light tannin. Organic-farmed, built for braises and tomato-led pasta.
Piana is fermented only in stainless steel, so the focus is fresh fruit rather than oak. Expect ruby colour with the violet hues Ceretto names, ripe cherry and wild blackberry, and the incisive acidity the producer calls the hallmark of Barbera d'Alba.
Ruby with violet hues in the glass, the nose leads with ripe cherry and wild blackberry over a clear note of violet that both Ceretto and Italian tasters flag. There is no oak in the way: Piana is fermented in steel, so the fruit reads fresh and direct, with a little black pepper and dried herb behind it.
Violet
Black cherry
Blackberry
Cherry
Plum
Raspberry
Leather
Black pepperMedium-bodied and lightly tannic, true to Barbera, with the incisive acidity Ceretto names as the grape's signature running right through. Cherry and plum stay juicy and savoury rather than sweet, picking up an earthy, faintly leathery edge with bottle age that Vivino drinkers consistently note. The steel handling keeps it bright.
The close is fresh and fruit-led: with no oak to lean on, it is the steel-raised Barbera's acidity that tidies Piana's finish and leaves the palate ready for the next bite, the point of a Barbera built for the table.
Ceretto calls Piana the par excellence of Barbera d'Alba, its everyday, fruit-first bottling, and Vivino's 2,398 ratings average a solid 3.7, with 2018, 2020 and 2023 rated highest. Organic-farmed and steel-raised, it is a fresh, food-ready Barbera for drinking young rather than cellaring.
Three vintages circulate in the UK, 2019, 2022 and 2023, all 750 ml from two retailers. Prices run from about 24 to 33 pounds, so this is a mid-priced named-vineyard Barbera rather than a supermarket bottle.
The scores below weigh Piana as an everyday, food-first Barbera: strong on the table and approachable for newcomers, mid on value at 24 to 33 pounds, and low on cellaring, since it is built for early drinking.
Incisive acidity and light tannin make Piana a versatile table red, strong with fatty Piedmontese braises, tomato dishes and veal.
A classic, fruit-forward expression of an indigenous Piedmontese grape with soft tannin and no oak; easy for newcomers to enjoy and understand.
Fresh, food-friendly and easy to open midweek, though a 24 to 33 pound price tag places it above casual everyday drinking.
At about 24 to 33 pounds it sits mid-band for a single-vineyard, organic Barbera d'Alba; fair rather than bargain value, justified by the named cru and the Ceretto name.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Barbera d'Alba denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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Barbera ripens late and reflects the season closely. The classic 2019 leans structured and fresh, warm 2022 is rounder and riper, and 2023 returns to a brighter, more aromatic style that Vivino drinkers rate among the wine's best recent years.
2023 brought a fresher, more aromatic style after the heat of 2022, with brighter acidity and lifted red fruit; Vivino drinkers rate it among Piana's best recent years. Drink young to catch that freshness.
2022 was a hot, dry Piedmont vintage, so the fruit is riper and rounder with a touch less of Barbera's usual bite. Generous and ready now, with the structure to hold a few more years.
2019 was a classic, evenly paced Piedmont season, giving Barbera with fresh acidity and clear red fruit. At this age the wine is drinking in its prime; enjoy over the next year or two rather than holding.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
Ceretto farms all its Langhe vineyards organically, certified since the 2015 vintage, and treats only with sulphur and copper. Piana draws on a single 2.75-hectare plot at Alba, which is what separates it from blended, bulk-sourced Barbera.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Barbera d'Alba is in the DOC tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Barbera d'Alba falls within Piedmont , covering Piedmont.
Piana is bottled from one named 2.75-hectare plot at Alba rather than blended bulk fruit, lifting it above the 8 to 12 pound supermarket Barbera tier toward its 24 to 33 pound shelf price.
Ceretto has farmed all its vineyards organically since 2015 certification; lower yields and hand-work in the vines add cost that sits behind Piana's price.
A leading Barolo-house label and some of Italy's priciest vineyard land in the Langhe both pull the price up versus an unknown grower's Barbera.
Fermenting and holding Piana in steel rather than buying and filling barrels keeps cellar costs lower than an oak-aged Barbera Superiore, holding the price down.
As Ceretto's entry, early-drinking Barbera rather than a DOCG cru, Piana avoids the mandated ageing and scarcity premium of the house's Barolo, keeping it affordable.
UK alcohol duty of 2.67 pounds a bottle on still wine up to 15% plus 20% VAT account for roughly 6 to 7 pounds of a 24 to 33 pound UK shelf price before any retailer margin.
Dishes that complement this wine
Ceretto positions Barbera as Piedmont's most food-friendly grape, its acidity and tannin made for full-flavoured, fatty dishes. That points to brasato, agnolotti del plin and veal, and to the tomato in pizza and pasta.
Barbera's incisive acidity matches the acidity in tomato, so the wine stays fresh against a sauce that flattens softer reds. Piana's lack of oak keeps the pairing clean and fruit-driven.
Try with: Pizza Margherita · Pizza Marinara · Pizza Romana · More pairings →
High acidity and light tannin cut through the fat and gelatine of slow braises, refreshing the palate between forkfuls. This is the role Ceretto designs Barbera for: exuberant, fatty dishes.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Bollito dei Pastori · More pairings →
Piana's medium body and savoury cherry fruit sit level with rich, meat-filled Langhe pasta without overwhelming it. The wine and the plate come from the same hills around Alba.
Try with: Agnolotti del Plin · Tajarin al Tartufo · Lasagna · More pairings →
Vitello and breaded veal carry richness and a salt edge that Barbera's acidity lifts and refreshes. Vivino's drinkers rank veal among the top matches for this wine.
Try with: Vitello Tonnato · Cotoletta alla bolognese · More pairings →
The wine's earthy, faintly leathery development and violet lift bridge to the savoury, woodland aromas of porcini and truffle, a natural Langhe pairing in autumn.
Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · Truffle risotto · Tajarin al Tartufo · More pairings →
Barbera's high acidity sharpens chilli burn rather than soothing it, and its savoury red fruit overwhelms delicate raw fish. Pour an aromatic Italian white like Alto Adige Gewurztraminer with the heat instead.
Skip with: Pizza Diavola · vindaloo · Sichuan chilli beef · sushi · sashimi · Pairing guide →
Piana is made to drink young while its fruit is vivid, not to age for decades. Steel-only handling and Barbera's modest tannin mean most vintages are at their best within five to seven years of harvest.
Peak around 2027. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Steel-raised and lightly tannic, built for early drinking; most vintages fade after five to seven years, so cellaring upside is limited.
£24.18 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 7 Jun 2026, 14:48 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumYes. Piana comes from a single 2.75-hectare plot in the commune of Alba, planted entirely to Barbera. Ceretto bottles it as the everyday, fruit-forward expression in its Barbera d'Alba range.
No. The wine is fermented and held in stainless steel, not barrel. Ceretto uses steel to protect Barbera's fresh red-fruit aromatics and keep the wine bright rather than oak-shaped.
Yes. Ceretto converted all its vineyards to organic farming and has been certified organic since the 2015 vintage, working the vines on biodynamic principles and treating only with sulphur and copper.
Its incisive acidity and light tannin cut fat and match tomato, so it suits Piedmontese braises like brasato, filled pasta such as agnolotti del plin, veal dishes, and tomato-led pizza and pasta.
This is an early-drinking Barbera. Most vintages drink best within about five to seven years of harvest, while the fruit is fresh; it is not built for long cellaring.
Recent UK listings run from roughly 24 to 33 pounds a bottle (750 ml) depending on vintage and retailer, placing it in the mid-priced range for a named-vineyard Barbera d'Alba.
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