Albarino: Good catch for seafood
Even the name of what is perhaps the most famous white wine region in Spain sounds rugged, crisp and splashed by seawater each time you say it out loud: Rias Baixas. Pronounced REE-ez BAI-shez, this small, verdant appellation in the autonomous region of Galicia in northwestern Spain is named for the four estuaries — Ria de Muros y Noia, Ria de Arousa, Ria de Pontevedra and Ria de Vigo — that spill inland, close to 20 miles at the deepest point, forming five earthly fingers.
Rias Baixas, or “lower estuaries” as it translates to in Galician, sits in the southwestern seaside corner of Galicia, just above Portugal. Since adopting modern winemaking techniques and receiving its official Denominacion de Origen status in the 1980s, Rias Baixas has become one of Spain’s top white wine-producing regions, if not the very top one. A scant amount of red wine is produced there, but it is not even worth mentioning by name, since more than 99 percent of Rias Baixas wines are white. The star among them all is made from, and named for, the albarino grape variety.
Unlike most Spanish wines, and most wines from other European countries, for that matter, Rias Baixas albarino carries a varietal identification on its labels, not just the name of the region.
When that varietal is albarino, as it most commonly is (a dozen grape varieties are permitted in Rias Baixas, but 96 percent of the appellation’s plantings are albarino), you have most certainly found one of the world’s greatest partners for fish, shellfish and basically anything else that was pulled from the ocean.
Fishing and feasting on the catch are a huge part of life for the Celtic descendants who inhabit this part of Spain. You need a wine to go with that fare. And the capital of Galicia is Santiago de Compostela, the ending point of the famous Christian pilgrimage route across northern Spain, the Camino de Santiago. Nothing could be more refreshing and rewarding after a weekslong trek than a glass of local wine, especially when it is this kind of wine.
Fresh, fragrant and brightly acidic, Rias Baixas albarinos are dry and medium-bodied. Clocking in about 12 percent alcohol, they offer a range of aromas and flavors, from floral notes, lemony citrus, crisp apple and pear to ripe stone fruits, tropical fruits, minerality, salinity, nuttiness and even bitter notes.
The wines’ clear and exuberant aromas are partly a result of the grapes’ thick skins, which during the growing season also protect them from the soggy and cool weather of Galicia. Traditionally, vines have been trained on wire trellis systems, up and away from the ground, sometimes as high as 7 feet, to protect grapes against diseases brought on by dampness.
There are five subregions in Rias Baixas, and albarino can come from any of them: Ribeira do Ulla, Val do Salnes, Soutomaior, Condado do Tea and O Rosal. Val do Salnes is believed by Spaniards to be the birthplace of albarino, though there is some speculation that the grape might hail from an area across the border in Portugal. Either way, this very specific corner of the world is the grape’s ancestral home; no one would dispute that.
While Rias Baixas albarino is sometimes blended with treixadura or loureiro, it is often bottled as a 100 percent varietal wine and can age well for several years. But this is also a lively and fresh wine style, ready to drink right away.
It is not exactly a cheap wine, but, again, we are talking about a style that stands above many others. It can be a pleasant aperitif and certainly can carry its weight through an entire seafood-themed repast. Worth every dollar.
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