Buon giorno! (or buona sera, depending on when you're reading this.) Another month, another wine tasting over the Tubes. This month's tasting, brought to us by good Dr. Vino, focuses on indigenous grape varieties, grown on their native soil.  We're talking about grapes that are not "The Big Six" -- Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc. We're talking ancient wines from ancient places.

After a year of intense wine education, I know a little bit about some of the odd varieties grown in the hinterlands of wine producing regions. Unfortunately, the one tasting I blew on my final exam a few weeks ago was a Barolo. In fact, Italy has always been a weak point in my wine ken, so in an effort to boost my Italian familiarity, Vinilicious is tasting two of Italy's most prized indigenous grape varieties: Barbera and Nebbiolo. Nebbiolo happens to be the grape of Barolo, so this wine tasting is not only educational, it's redemptive.

Both Barbera and Nebbiolo are predominantly found in Piemonte, the northwestern region of Italy in the foothills of the Alps. Italian winemakers grow more Barbera than any grape other than the Tuscan workhorse, Sangiovese, mostly because it's relatively easy to grow and ripen. Most agree that the best Barbera grows around the town of Asti, and a number or DOCs (Denominazione di Origine, the guarantee of origin in Italian wine legalese) dot the hills around the town.

The 2004 Caranti Cascina Garitina Barbera d'Asti was, as far as my limited wine vocabulary can dictate, a typical Barbera. It was a dark, almost inky ruby-crimson in color. The nose was simple, dominated by candied cherries and blackberry, with a touch of smoke and vanilla. In the mouth, the Caranti was classic Barbera (even I could have picked it out blind): The wine was face-puckeringly tart. The fruit still shined and the finish was quite pleasant, however. A simple but pleasing wine that would have paired well with pizza.

I selected the oldest Nebbiolo my local wine shop could provide. I did this because Nebbiolo generally needs time to mellow out. And by time, I don't mean "open the bottle and let it breathe." I mean don't drink it until you retire. If you are retired, I wouldn't recommend buying a Nebbiolo in the current vintage; it might outlive you.

The 2002 Monchiero Carbone Regret Langhe could not have been more different than the Barbera. Lighter in color, less ruby and more garnet and brown, the aroma was complex and ever-changing every time I put my nose in it. Tar, wild game, leather, stewed cherries. Not the most aromatic wine, but intense, nonetheless. In the mouth: more black cherry, followed by chalk-eating tannin. (As time passed, the tannins softened noticably in the glass).

The Barbera was $15 and the Langhe was $25 in our inflated Boston market, a modern Prohibition state. It should be noted that more wine is imported into the U.S. from Italy than any other country (with the possible exception of Australia), but these two wines are different from the lake of Chianti and Pinot Grigio that is generally the norm. Wines like Barbera and Nebbiolo, as well as the myriad other Italian varieties (Falanghina, Garganega, Vermentino, Montepulciano, Negro Amaro, etc.) are worth seeking out for a change of pace. Check out Ray Isle's 12 Grapes to Know in Italy for a primer, and then ask the Tubes for more information.