Albarino

Welcome to Vine to Wine, I’m your host Linda Moran.  I seem to be on a roll lately indulging in the white wines of summer. Let’s talk about a great summer white wine Albarino.  

Albarino is the principal white wine from the Rias Baixas (Rias Bay-shas)

region of northwest Spain, and home to over 200 wineries. There are apparently over 7,000 acres of land dedicated to growing this delicious white grape. It is native to Spain and thought of as its best white grape. The Albarino grape is planted over tall trellises in the wet soggy climate, to keep it the air circulating, and keep it from rotting. It has adapted beautifully and makes a crisp, refreshing and fruit fragranced dry white wine. It develops a thick skin which contributes to its pretty aromatics. It has unique characteristics uncommon to any other wines. Nearly always fermented only in stainless steel, it is released early, usually not much longer than a year from its vintage. It is dry, with stimulating acidity. It has become popular in the United States and can be found in most fine wine shops and grocers, often less than twenty dollars a bottle. We are seeing some plantings of it in the U.S. especially in cooler climates. Albarino is sometimes deemed a trendy wine, but I think it is more sophisticated than that. I believe it has lasting power. Albarino is a good wine for the summer and lends itself well to many of the fish and vegetables we like to cook on the grill. It is also a lovely wine to serve along with appetizers to begin a meal or cheese after a meal. Ask for suggestions from your local wine merchant.  Remember to send your wine questions to linda at vine to wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today’s Vine to Wine.