VinoLoverAlbariño white wines are light, fruity and fragrant. Albariño single-varietal wines usually offer clean, fresh and fruity flavors, and are notable for their natural acidity and aromatic content. Here you will find everything you need to know about this great variety of grape.
Characteristics of the Albariño grape variety
Albariño is a moderately vigorous, robust and fertile variety. It is characterized by early ripening and small clusters of medium sized grapes with thick skin.
This variety is better adapted to dry soils. Albariño bunches are susceptible to mildew, oidium and especially to mites. Today, there are still Albariño vines planted in the traditional pergola system to help keep the grapes dry and not rotten.
A fact about color: Some of the oldest vines in the world are Albariño and are up to 300 years old. To put us in context, the oldest vineyard in the world is over 400 years old.
Tasting notes of Albariño wines
The best Albariño wines combine fruit and floral aromas and flavors; from lime, orange and acacia to citronella and honeysuckle and even dried orange peel, orange, grapefruit, bergamot, peach and, in some cases, green apple. Often, we also find marine notes, so these wines are the perfect ally of seafood.
In the mouth, Albariño wines have a medium-heavy palate and an acidity that ends with saltiness and sometimes a subtle bitter note. This fresh acidity balances the firm and powerful structure of the wine.
Where is the Albariño grape variety grown?
The Albariño variety is native to Galicia (Spain), where it was grown exclusively in the past. In 2007, its cultivation was also authorized in Catalonia, Castilla y León and Cantabria.
This grape variety is also widespread in the northwest of Portugal, where it began to spread from its point of origin, in the municipalities of Monçâo and Melgaço.
However, the quality of the variety and trends in the world of wine have taken the Albariño variety beyond the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Today, in addition to Spain and Portugal, Albariño also grows – albeit to a lesser extent – in California, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Brazil.
Rías Baixas and its ideal climate for Albariño
The Albariño grape variety performs well in cool and intermediate climates such as those of Galicia, where strong Atlantic storms predominate. This area offers more than 2000 hours of growing days, which makes possible the complete maturation of this grape.
Galicia was one of the first Spanish denominations of origin to indicate on its labels the variety from which it was made. Nowadays Rías Baixas is one of the most popular and successful appellations in the international field. In fact, the Albariño is the star variety of this Denomination of Origin.
Some of the recommended producers in this area are Eulogio Pomarez Zárate, Gerardo Méndez (in particular the Cuvée Cepas Vellas from a vineyard of more than 200 years), Pazo Señorans, Bodega Forjas del Salnés, Adegas Pazos de Lusco and Raúl Pérez, among others.
However, the Albariño is not only found in wines from Rías Baixas, but also some from Ribeiro, Valdeorras and Ribeira Sacra. In most of these, the Albariño is usually combined with other varieties such as Loureiro, Godello, Treixadura, Caiño blanco, Palomino or Torrontés.
Aging of Albariño wines
Although Albariño wines are usually associated with a young, fresh wine, they do have good aging potential due to their high natural acidity. It is, in turn, one of the few white grapes in Spain that allows for optimal aging on lees.
VinoLover
Claudio Comella
