Albariño wine

 

The Albariño is the most widespread grape variety in the D.O. Rías Baixas. It is used to produce fresh, mellow and elegant whites that marry well with Galician cuisine and all types of seafood.

HISTORY
The origin of the Albariño is still unknown to this day.
There are those that claim it is indigenous to the Rías Baixas, and those that claim it was introduced to the Monastery of Armenteira (Pontevedra) in the 12th century by French monks from Cluny Abbey on a pilgrimage to Santiago.
Whatever the origins of this variety, the vines have rapidly adapted to the local climate, spreading to the rest of Galicia and northern Portugal.

Currently, the Albariño is by far the queen variety of the D.O. Rías Baixas. It is much more popular than the Lourero, Godello and Treixadura varieties, which are also grown in this denomination.

CHARACTERISTICS
The Albariño has a very long vegetative cycle, with very small berries that sprout early and ripen late.
It is a sweet, glyceric variety with a characteristic aroma that is reminiscent of apricots, like the Viognier.

Albariño wine (the wine owes its name to the grape variety) is a broad, dry and very light white wine that is delicious on the palate.
It is bright, with a straw yellow hue and golden-green shimmers. It has fruity, fine and very distinguished aromas.
Its flavour is fresh and mellow, with a good body and great balance between alcohol and acidity. Its aftertaste is pleasant, elegant and very complete.

Albariño wine is ideal as an aperitif with any variety of lightly seasoned seafood. In fact, there is no other wine that marries better with Galician seafood.

WINES MADE WITH ALBARIÑO GRAPES
In the D.O. Rías Baixas we find various interesting and characteristic single varietal Albariños, such as Martín Codax Albariño, Pazo de Señorans or Fillaboa Albariño, among others.

Without leaving this D.O. we also find coupages of Albariño complemented by other varieties. One example is the Terras Gauda, with the Albariño complemented by Loureira Blanca and Caíño Blanco.

Some very interesting Albariños are also produced outside of the D.O. Rías Baixas. There?s the Ekam, produced in the D.O. Costers del Segre with Riesling grapes. And then there?s the Lapola, which is produced in the Ribeira Sacra with Albariño, Godello and Doña Blanca grapes.