Barbera and grilled vegetables

Barbera has been one of the staple table wines of Italy’s Piedmont region almost forever, so it’s been partnered with virtually all of the regions dishes. A grilled vegetable platter is not exactly one of those dishes, but it works fantastically well with Barbera, especially once those veggies are drizzled with fine olive oil. The smoky edge of the vegetables brings out the contrasting sweet fruit in the wine, and the tension between the textures of zesty Barbera and rich olive oil is magic. The char of the grilled vegetables allows the dish to stand up to oak-aged examples of Barbera.