THE CURIOUS QUAFFER
ALBARINO
Ribeira do Mino
Many years ago I paid my first visit to a restaurant in the centre of Madrid . Inconspicuous , not posh and very unpretentious in equal measure . The name was Marisqueria Ribeira do Mino at C / Santa Brigida 1- 28004 Madrid . I have been back there on a number of occasions since . Full of locals , not tourists , it sells the most amazing array of shellfish and seafood you could ever wish to come across . There is a little meat too but , undoubtedly , its lure is the seafood . Pay it a visit if you are in Madrid . It is a gem .
On the first occasion I paid this wonderful little restaurant a visit , we ( there were many of us ) washed our lunch down with numerous bottles of Albariño . It was cheap , and a wonderful match for our lunch . On every occasion that I have been back since …. I have done the same . Seafood and Albariño ! This is not to say that I had never tasted Albariño before . I had , but my subsequent passion for the wine really started here , many years ago , in the centre of Madrid .
Albariño
The Albariño grape is a thick-skinned white grape variety , which means it can thrive in damp , high-altitude vineyards by the sea . It is traditionally known as a vibrant , aromatic , Spanish or Portuguese grape variety and is normally characterised by light bodied freshness , bright acidity , ripe fruit , floral notes and often a hint of salinity . There are , however , also some slightly richer , more complex , examples of Albariño where the wine has been aged on its lees or which has been allowed to age in oak . It is adaptable .
In Spain we know the grape as Albariño . Its home is in Rias Baixas in Galicia , in the northwest corner of the country . In Portugal we know it as Alvarinho , where it is the mainstay of Vinho Verde , Portugal ’ s lovely spritzy , peachy , white wine .
Go back twenty or more years ago and Albariño was a little known grape or wine . However , over the last twenty years , it has enjoyed huge success . Currently , in Rias Baixas alone , we find the area
producing some 37.3 million bottles of wine a year . Some 94 % of this total is Albariño . It has become so popular in recent years that its lure has spread around the world . We now find great examples of the wine coming from countries ranging from Uruguay , the USA through to South Africa , New Zealand and Australia . The grape has now even been planted in southern France . Global interest is growing and growing quickly .
What to try
Over a number of years I have been buying Albariño from around the world . If you fancy a try , then perhaps have in mind one or all of the following :
Bodegas del Palacio de Fefiñanes Rías Baixas Albariño D Fefiñanes
This is one of the oldest and most respected Albariño producers in Rías Baixas . My first venture with the Estates wine was back with their 2014 vintage . A fresh wine , great acidity and full of lemony citrus and floral notes . More recently the 2021 vintage , similarly , provides a lovely aromatic , fresh , wine with lovely fruit , floral notes and great acidity ( currently on sale online – try Waitrose @ £ 18.99 a bottle ).
Pazo de Señoráns Albariño Rías Baixas Selección de Añada
Here I go back some 16 or 17 years to 2006 . This was the first vintage of this wine that I sampled . An excellent , fresh and vibrant wine with good acidity . Green apple , minerals and citrus . Moving forwards we get to the 2012 vintage , which I have recently noted has just had great write up in the February edition of Decanter Magazine ( a whopping 96 point wine ). Lime , lemon , peach with intensity , some richness and great minerality . The 2012 vintage is currently on sale on Vinvm at £ 44.10 ( other more recent vintages are also available online ).
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