Albariño, Rías Baixas
For episode three of Grape Minds over on IGTV we chatted with the fabulous Alex Head, founder of leading London events company Social Pantry, and sipped on a luxurious Albariño which blew our little minds. The full tasting notes are below.
Thank you Liebherr for your continued support of Grape Minds, and thank you Alex for joining us!
5 facts on Albariño:
Albariño is grown, almost exclusively, in Rias Baixas DO - a wet, wild, Atlantic-battered corner of NW Spain. The only other key region for this grape is Monção e Melgaço in Portugal, where it is called Alvarinho, and it’s used to make a varietal Vinho Verde.
Albariño is a thick skinned white grape. Thick skins serve as key protection against fungal disease - a constant threat of the wet climate of Rias Baixas.
It produces one of the most structured white wines you can find; its structure is derived from its powerful, angular acidity and a strong phenolic quality in the mouth (aka its “tannic grip”), which comes from those thicker skins.
Albariño is both aromatic and yet very crisp… it yields aromas of ripe, floral apricots and orange blossom, undercut by zesty lime pith.
It’s USP is a gorgeous saline marine tang… evocative of a bracing onshore wind with plenty of sea-spray to the face, if you’re feeling poetic.
3 pairings for Albariño:
Freshly shucked, pan-fried scallops.
…with just a twist of salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon and some fresh parsley. The creamy, succulent texture of scallops is a beautiful match for the silky weight of a fuller bodied Albariño, such as the “Sal de Terra” below; and the scallop’s subtle sweetness is enhanced by the zesty, salinity of the Albariño grape, no matter the style of the wine. This winter Katy has had the joy of foraging fresh scallops from rock pools on the Isle of Wight and swears by this pairing; photo bottom left.
Fish tacos.
What are two the two things which bring all fried food to life..? Salt and acidity! Think malt vinegar on good old fish and chips, or a squeeze of lime on some tacos. This wine brings both salinity and acidity to the party and will complement any breaded, crispy fried white fish spectacularly!
Our roasted leek, fennel and white bean salad.
The salad is laced with fresh green herbs, perfumed lemon zest, and a “seaside quality” which stems from heaps of capers and anchovies in the dressing. This brine-y, sea-y flavour will flow happily with the saline thread in the wine. If you’ve got a lighter bodied Albariño with high acidity this will ‘cut through’ the creamy texture of the hummus style dressing wonderfully.
One of our favourite bottles of Albariño:
Region: Rias Baixas
Vintage: 2018
ABV: 13%
Made by: winemaker Eulogio Pomares (Bordeaux-trained and a seventh generation winemaker!) and founder of The Sourcing Table, Ben Henshaw. It is the wine that made Jancis Robinson fall back in love with Albariño after a decade of “meh?” and OH BOY can we see why!
Cost: £32.00, purchased via The Sourcing Table (here).
Other info: Sal da Terra is comprised of wine from two of Eulogio’s own parcels. The first sits at sea level with direct influence from the Atlantic; the vines here are 35 years old and the soil is granite and red clay. The second is further inland at an altitude of 250m. The former pressing was fermented in large concrete tanks, and the latter in large old chestnut barrels. Both are fermented naturally. We’re expecting a beautiful tension between something clean and saline, and something a little softer and richer. The wine is unfiltered and only 3,360 bottles were made.
On the nose: We’re going to pinch from Vin Cognito here as we don’t think we could express it better ourselves… ‘imagine eating a nectarine while sitting in a rock pool’. That’s the vibe.
On the palate: What a tour de force! The wine has far more breadth and body than any Albariño we’ve tried; it has compelling structure and impressive grip. There’s a delightful saline, ‘sea-breeze’ quality to it (a true characteristic of Albariño from Rias Baixas) and a zesty acidity that’s layered with flavours of ripe peaches, lime cordial and soft white blossom. Very special indeed.
