WINEMAKERS IN ITALY have cultivated thousands of grape varieties over the years, but only a few have won wide appeal, let alone international acclaim. (The French, with grapes like Pinot Noir and Cabernet, have proven much better at that sort of thing.) And yet there are dozens of Italian varieties that merit a much larger following, or even perhaps a spotlight of their own.

One of my top candidates for a starring turn would be Barbera, a red grape of Italy's Piedmont region. It's the most widely planted red grape of the district, though not its best known (that would be Nebbiolo, the grape of the famed wines Barolo and Barbaresco).

Barbera has plenty of qualities that would seem to make it a likely household name: fairly soft tannins, an ability to age well, and bright, lively acidity. Thanks to its versatile nature, it is also one of the easiest wines in the world to pair with food.

Jeffrey Porter, beverage director of Del Posto, Babbo and Lupa restaurants in New York, calls Barbera his restaurants' "Pinot Noir," in reference to its food-friendly nature. Mr. Porter, who has amassed a huge collection of fancy Barolos on his list at Del Posto, notes that Barbera is also one of his go-to wines. "We even have an aged Barbera on our list at Del Posto that we pair with a seafood stew," he noted.

While Barbera and Pinot Noir may share the virtue of mixing well with food, Barbera bests Pinot Noir in terms of price-quality ratio. It's almost impossible to find a good bottle of Pinot Noir for $15, but an excellent Barbera often costs much less.