The Barbera del Sannio grape is a black grape variety primarily found in the Valle Telesina. It is the third most important grape variety in its cultivation area. The grapes have distinctive characteristics, both morphologically and enologically, different from the similarly named grape variety from Piedmont. The cluster is conical-pyramidal with ovoid-shaped, blue-black berries that are rich in bloom and have non-colored pulp. Barbera del Sannio is not a particularly vigorous grape variety but has good productivity, though it is susceptible to botrytis. It ripens early, and despite its name, its musts are not particularly rich in acids.

Barbera del Sannio is not mentioned among the grape varieties cultivated in the province of Benevento, as described by the Ampelographic Commission chaired by Giuseppe Frojo in 1879. There is also no trace of it in the first ampelographic studies for the province of Terra di Lavoro, of which the Sannio telesino was part before the Unification of Italy, also coordinated by Frojo and published the previous year. However, Frojo does mention a “Barbera” grape referring to the Vesuvius area. In fact, the first mention of this grape dates back to 1844, under the name Lugliese or Lugliatica, and it appears to have similarities with Catalanesca, Casavecchia, and Summariello, which in turn is considered synonymous with Uva di Troia.