Wine of the Week: 2009 Oddero Barbera d’Alba

Piedmontese winemakers aren’t drinking Barolo and Barbaresco every day; they’re drinking Barbera. And this Barbera d’Alba from the Barolo house Oddero (founded in 1878) is a beauty. It’s everything it should be: ruby red, lush and velvety, with soft tannins and the bright taste of cherries and dark berries.

Drink it with salumi, with grilled sausages and chops, with lusty pasta dishes. And make sure you have a spare bottle. It’s hard to drink just one.

Region: Piedmont

Price: About $19

Style: Easygoing

What it goes with: Salumi, grilled sausages, chops, pasta dishes.

Where to find it: K&L Wine Merchants in Hollywood, (323) 464-9463, https://www.klwines.com; Larchmont Village Wine and Cheese in Los Angeles, (323) 856-8699, https://www.larchmontvillagewine.com; Mission Wines in South Pasadena, (626) 403-9463, https://www.missionwines.com; Uncorked Wine Shop in Hermosa Beach, (424) 247-7117, https://www.uncorkedhermosa.com; the Vintage Shoppe in Manhattan Beach, (310) 546-9463, https://www.bigwino.com; Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454, https://www.winex.com; and the Wine House in West Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731, https://www.winehouse.com.

irene.virbila@latimes.com