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Albarino is the next big thing in white
wine; I'm convinced of it. The grape is
spelled "Alvarhino" in Portugal. It
typically has a light to medium body
weight and white peach-like fruits,
which, blind, make this wine easily
confused for viognier. Albarino,
however, seems to be somewhat hardier
and will age gracefully. I have had
a couple of aged Albarinos that reminded
me of great White Burgundy - mineral based,
aromas of honey and damp earth...
This example is quite light in body,
which makes it perfect for rounding out
your summer. At $19 dollars, you get
an acid and body that match great sauvignon
blanc from the Loire Valley. The fruit,
though very subtle, is true to type. White
peach notes and green apple mingle to give
us a stunning example of wine that is
highly enjoyable with our without food.
This wine is made to pair with caesar
salad, dried fishes, sardines, and all
sorts of shellfish. The character of its
fruit, however, lets this wine match perfectly
with chicken and pork as well.
Rias Baixas is in the green, hilly
appellation of Galicia, which is in
northwest corner of Spain. If the wine is
labeled Albarino, it must be 100% albarino.
If it is merely labeled Rias Baixas, such as
this one is, it may be blended with other grapes
with albarino usually comprising about 70% of
the blend. This wine has a small portion
of Loureiro, which gives the wine a slight
lime characteristic and Treixadura, a dry
white that helps to lighten the overall body of the wine.
There are 5 subzones in Rias Baixas (just
like Russian River Valley is a subzone of
Sonoma). They are Calle de Salnes, Conmdado
de Tea, El Rosal, Soutomaior, and the newest
subzone Ribeira del Ulla. Santiago Ruiz is from
El Rosal and the blending of minor grapes into
the albarino is highly typical for this region.
It is still quite difficult to taste individual
characteristics from this subzone, as albarino is
only starting to stream into the market in the
last 5 years. So continue to look for Rias
Baixas on the label and I promise you won't be disappointed.
Rias Baixas is pronounced Ree-ahs By-sh-ahhs.
2001 seems to be an especially good vintage.
-The Wine-Rhino
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Alvarinho/Albarino
Rias Baixas, Spain
Retail Cost: $19.00
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Santiago Ruiz, 2001 |
  
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Try with:
Caesar Salad, Sardines, Shrimp, Crab, Chicken Dishes, Pork with Apple Sauce
If you liked this, try:
Martin Codax; Terras Gauda; Condes de Albarei; Granja Fillaboa; Bodegas Terras Gauda "Abadia San Campio" ; and for a different thicker textured style if you can find it: Pazo de Senorans
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About the Winery
Cases Produced: N/A
Location: Galicia, Spain
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