Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Sauvignon
California Super Cabs
California Pinot Noir
Carmenere
Chateauneuf du Pape
Grenache
Malbec
Merlot
Nebbiolo
Petite Sirah
Pinot Noir
Sangiovese
South African Red Wines
Syrah/Shiraz
Tempranillo
Valpolicella
Zinfandel
I think it is interesting to note that in this ongoing
debate about Terroir, proposed by the French, their
most famous varietals, i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon,
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, etc... Are being grown
all over the world with great success. The word
Terroir implies all the conditions such as soil,
weather, wind, etc...affecting a grapevine during the
growing season that will ultimately determine how a
wine will taste. The French claim that they have it,
and the rest of us don’t. I suppose you could argue
that up to a point. After all, a Bordeaux wine tastes
like a Bordeaux wine and all though there are similar
wines made around the world, they never seem to
taste exactly like a Bordeaux wine. However, there
are many examples of truly magnificent wines made
from Bordeaux grape varieties from all over the
world. So in a sense, just because they don’t taste
French, does not mean that don’t taste great.
Okay, you are probably asking, “Where is he going
with this?” I mentioned the subject of Terroir
because perhaps it’s not France that should be
making this claim, but rather countries like Italy and
Spain. There are many indigenous grape varieties
that these two countries have become famous for that
the rest of the world has so far been unsuccessful in
turning into great wines. This would certainly be the
case with the Spanish Albarino grape. In fact, Spain
itself has not even been successful producing great
Albarino wines from anywhere else in the country
other than it’s Galician home of the Rias Biaxas in
the far northwestern tip of Spain. Okay, there is one
other country making pretty good wines from the
same grape and that would be Portugal who calls it
Alvarinho and they use it in their Vinho Verde wines.
But does that really count? I mean the region they
grow these grapes in, Minhos, is directly across the
border from where it is grown in Spain so essentially
it is being grown in the same environment. What that
environment consists of is cool maritime weather, with
tons of rain, and both granite and chalk soils, all
within sight of the Atlantic Ocean. Not exactly the
ideal place to grow wine grapes, but for whatever the
reason, it seems to work for the Albarino grape.
It is kind or ironic that it is grown so close to the
ocean because it is precisely the frutti di mari (Italian
for Fruit of the Sea) that makes such an outstanding
pair with Albarino wines. This wine makes an ideal
partner with shellfish and light seafood dishes and
even chicken with lemon accents. In fact, the Spanish
refer to Albarino wines as “The wine of the sea.” The
people of Galicia, where it is grown, are known for
their shellfish cuisine so it is only fitting that they
produce a wine to complement it at the dinner table.
The Rias Biaxas, which is the wine regions name,
stands for “the lower rivers”. These lower rivers are
wide inlets of water that intrude many miles inland
from the Atlantic Ocean. This is the westernmost
point in Spain and it was once considered the “End of
the World”. I guess Christopher Columbus probably
set sail from here out to prove the world was round
after all. (Christopher Columbus was Portuguese by
the way, but Portugal would not pay for his expedition
so Spain stepped in. Uh, big mistake Portugal!) The
land in this region is green and hilly with a moist, mild
climate. Citrus fruits are grown in abundance here.
Say, Albarino wines show lots of citrus flavors, could
that be Spanish Terroir getting through? Perhaps
vintners around the world should try planting Albarino
grapevines near their lemon trees.
The Albarino grape has thick skin and it is a good
thing it does. The growing conditions would prove to
be too harsh for most grapes. There’s way too much
rain and very little sunshine, but fortunately, the end
of summer is usually dry. Under these conditions, you
would expect mold or rot to be a big problem, but
these grapes have adapted well. The side effect is
that the grapes are usually picked before they are
allowed to fully ripen so the resulting wines are filled
with high levels of acidity. However, this grape
produces a fuller creamier textured wine that buries
some that harsh acidity into ideal levels. The
resulting wine is one with a highly aromatic nose of
orange blossoms and loads of citrus and tropical fruits
on the palate. One way the growers here keep the
grapes dry is by trellising the grapevines in such a
way as to allow wind to circulate over them.
As far as the soil in the Rias Biaxas is concerned, it
consists mostly of granite with some chalk and clay
here or there. There are lots of minerals, but very
few nutrients and there is very good drainage in the
vineyards because of the slopes that they are planted
on. These characteristics add a mineral edge to
Albarino wines. Experts believe that the Albarino
grape is a genetic descendant of the Riesling grape.
Maybe that is true, but I personally can’t make the
connection based on how they taste. To me, Albarino
wines taste more like a cross between Sauvignon
Blanc and Pinot Grigio. Both of those wines also
make excellent partners with seafood. The wine itself
has a green shade to it. Perhaps that is why the
Portuguese named their wine Vinho Verde or “Green
Wine.”
The people of Galicia have been producing Albarino
wines for years so it is somewhat surprising to me
that the Rias Biaxas region only received it’s D.O.
status as recently as 1988. I guess the quality of their
wines was slow to develop. Another reason for the
late blooming for the wine region is that up until the
mid 1980’s there were only five commercial wineries
in the area. Now there are more than 100. I guess
the word got out so to speak. D.O. status stands for
Domination of Origin (similar to the French AOC &
Italy’s DOC) and is only given to a wine region that
makes superior wines of originality. As part of the
regulations of being able to use the Rias Biaxas name
on your label, the wines must be made from 100%
Albarino grapes. They do sometimes use other
blending grapes, but those wines must be de-classified
and called something else. There are a total of five
sub zones in the Rias Biaxas region. Valle de Salnes,
Soutomaior, Ribeira del Ulla, El Rosal and Condado
de Tea. Say that ten times fast, I dare ya!
A tour of the Dallas area wine shops will usually turn
up one or two Albarino wines in each store.
Surprisingly, I have found that many stores don’t all
carry the same ones either. That’s a good thing if you
like variety. I have had good success finding both
Spanish Albarinos and Vinho Verde’s from Portugal
at Whole Foods Market. A word of caution though,
Vinho Verde wines are much lighter in body and taste
then an Albarino. So I recommend starting with an
Albarino wine first as a way to get introduced to the
varietal. It is conspicuously convenient for me that I
usually buy my high quality seafood from Whole
Foods and even more of a coincidence that their wine
shop is located right there in the seafood area.
Maybe it’s just my mind playing tricks on me, but as I
walk away from the seafood counter with my selection
clams, shrimp and scallops, I hear this little voice
saying, “Hey, got Albarino?”
Varietal/Wine
Style Page
 |
 |
 |
 |
Varietals/Wines
Albarino
Gewurztraminer
Pinot Gris/Grigio
Riesling
Sauvignon Blanc
Semillon
Viognier
White Burgundy
(Chardonnay)
| Aromas & Flavors |
Processing Bouquets/Flavors |
Style |
| Fruit - lemon, lime, peach, melon, apricot, green apple, kiwi, pear, citrus |
Malolactic - butter, cream |
Body - medium to full |
| Floral/Spice - orange blossom, bitter almonds, minerals, ginger, grass |
Oak - vanilla |
Acidity - Very high |
