Pagagena Barbera d'Alba 2003

Alba, Piedmont, Italy, cork seal, $195

Home made pizza called for something Italian and I couldn't go past this. I'm a fan of Barbera, but was also suckered in by the label; I really like the image of silhouetted, but distant gaiety. It's a DOC Superior classed wine from Alba that's seen a year in French oak. I purchased it from il Bel Paese in Wan Chai.

It's a dark purple colour, though it's fading to red around the rim. The nose is bright and cheery with plenty of ripe fruit aromas. I get whiffs of cherries, boysenberry, milk chocolate and herbs (perhaps bay leaf). The palate is a fruity affair dominated by red cherries, cranberries, with a hint of darker blackberries. It's a medium bodied, has a touch of acidity that keeps it fresh; the whole package is wrapped in lovely silky tannins. Pagagena Barbera d'Alba 2003 is a pleasant, if not earth shattering, drop that I can imagine this going well with a whole range of foods

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