RossoBarbera
The biggest tasting bench dedicated to Barbera: over four days around All Saints', the castle of Costigliole d'Asti pours more than 400 Barberas from some 200 wineries, with masterclasses, a historic-vintage tasting, Barbera food pairings, a grappa salon and a walk through the old Rocca quarter.
Why it's special
Costigliole is the comune with the most Barbera vineyards anywhere, and this is its showcase: one castle and the whole spread of the grape, from across Piedmont and beyond, poured side by side by AIS sommeliers.
Programme · 2026
7th edition, at the Castello di Costigliole d'Asti, promoted by the Comune di Costigliole d'Asti.
- Book entry and any masterclass through the official site ahead of time.
- Pianeta Grappa is free to enter.
- The Rocca walk and the participating restaurants' Barbera menus make it worth staying the night; the castle is at Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 8.
- Don't drive back after a full tasting — use the Visit Costigliole listings to stay over.
RossoBarbera is what happens when the comune with the most Barbera in the world puts all of it in one building. Every autumn, over a long weekend around All Saints', the Castello di Costigliole d'Asti fills with tasting benches — around 200 wineries and more than 400 Barberas, poured by AIS sommeliers, from the Asti and Monferrato heartland and beyond. It is the largest tasting anywhere devoted to the one grape.
The event is run by the Comune di Costigliole d'Asti with the Consorzio Barbera d'Asti e Vini del Monferrato, whose headquarters are in the same castle, and the local producers' association "Noi di Costigliole". The town has around 570 hectares under Barbera, and the festival exists to say so. It started in 2019 with 142 wineries; by its second edition in 2021 it was past 200.
Around the main tasting the programme splits into strands: Barbera Academy masterclasses with winemakers and journalists, Barbera Forever for iconic labels and old vintages, Barbera Gourmet for food pairings, a grappa salon, and the Giro della Rocca, which opens up the old quarter's palazzi and museums for the weekend. Local restaurants put Barbera-pairing menus on for the days of the festival.
It is the autumn, indoor counterpart to the town's July Barbera Summer Festival. Book tickets and masterclasses on the official site; this year's dates are above.
Past editions
| Year | Dates | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 October – 2 November 2026 | 7th edition, at the Castello di Costigliole d'Asti, promoted by the Comune di Costigliole d'Asti. The tasting – more than 200 wineries and over 400 Barberas, the largest tasting bench devoted to the grape (search the wine list on the official site). Barbera Forever – a tasting of iconic labels and historic vintages. Barbera Academy – masterclasses, guided tastings and talks with sommeliers, winemakers, producers and journalists. Barbera Gourmet – traditional artisan products to taste alongside the wine; Dolce e Barbera – pastry and chocolate demonstrations with the FIPGC. Pianeta Grappa – 3rd edition of the Italian distillates salon, with ANAG Piemonte, the "Noi di Costigliole" producers and the Piedmont grappa consortia (free entry). Il Giro della Rocca – the old Rocca quarter turned into an art and culture trail of historic palazzi, exhibitions, museums and projections; local restaurants serve Barbera-pairing menus. |
| 2025 | 31 October – 3 November 2025 | 6th edition, with Sardinia as guest region; 200 wineries and more than 400 wines at the castle. Barbera Academy masterclasses, Barbera Forever historic-vintage tasting and Barbera Gourmet pairings. New that year – "La Torre del Gusto", short food-and-wine tastings with unusual pairings. Also – the Giro della Rocca, the regional "Delizie al Barbera" championship for Piedmont's hotel-catering schools and the "Vestire la Barbera" label competition. |