Premier Wine Training

The premier provider of wine courses & wine training in Ireland

  • Home
  • Wine courses
    • Choose a wine course
    • WSET courses
      • WSET Level 2 Award in Wines
      • WSET Level 3 Award in Wines
    • Wine Scholar Guild
      • French Wine Scholar
    • Online Wine Courses
      • WSET Level 1 Wine ONLINE
      • WSET Level 2 Award in Wines ONLINE
      • WSET Level 3 Award in Wines ONLINE
    • Wine Appreciation courses
      • One Day Wine Tasting Course
    • Food & Wine matching courses
  • Trade Training
    • WSET courses for trade
      • WSET Level 1 Award in Wines
    • Wine training for hospitality sector
    • Wine training for off-trade
    • Wine training for wine distributors
  • Wine Tastings
    • Wine Tasting Gift Experience
  • About
  • Contact
  • Wine Recommendations
  • Food and Wine
  • Learn about wine
  • Wine Appreciation
  • Testimonials
  • Gift Vouchers
You are here: Home / Food and Wine / Albariňo, anyone?

Albariňo, anyone?

July 19, 2016 by Maureen

One of my favourite summer whites is Albariňo, thanks to its light body and fresh taste.  Its flavours are subtle and elegant – grapefruit, pear and peach are accented by a certain saltiness, reminiscent of a whiff of seashore.  It’s crisp rather than overtly acidic. Occasionally a feint spritz of carbon dioxide is left in the wine, for freshness. Some premium wines are lees-aged, giving extra richness and texture.

Albariňo is the variety, and Rias Baixas is the wine region, which is in Galicia in the north-west of Spain.  (It’s probably better known to hikers as the finish point on the famous Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route). Look out for ‘O Rosal’ on the label which denotes that it’s from one of the best vineyard zones. 

This area has a Celtic influence in their music and customs, and their weather is rather Celtic too – quite a lot of Atlantic rain. This makes it more difficult to farm grapes, and only thick-skinned varieties like Albariňo can survive the damp conditions.  It also reduces yields.  The bottom line is that Albariňo is rarely cheap. 

white wine & tapasAlbariňo goes perfectly with briny shellfish, such as prawns or crab, or any really fresh-tasting, simply cooked fish.  It sang beautifully recently when I paired it with a crab and smoked salmon starter at a special wine tasting and dinner. Everyone was impressed and it made me look good! In Galicia, it’s often enjoyed with more exotic offerings like octopus or whitebait.  Ceviche, that South American speciality where perfectly-fresh fish is marinated in citrus juice and fresh herbs, would be fantastic too.   

3 to try:

Martin Codax Albariňo 2015 is one of the most widely available in specialist shops, and is an excellent benchmark.   Delicious thick-skinned green apples, grapefruit zest, and seashore minerality.   €16.50, widely available in specialist shops nationwide.

Valminor Albariňo 2015 was voted one of the best Albarinos by prestigious Decanter magazine recently. It’s from the ‘O Rosal’ area, known to produce some of the best quality Albariňo. €19 from good wine shops.

Lagar de Costa Albariňo 2015 is a very reliable stalwart.  Apple blossom, pear, stony steely character, with an almost waxy mouthfeel, and an impressively long finish.  €19.95, but often on promotion, O’Brien’s.

 

 

Fb-Button
Share

Filed Under: Food and Wine

About Maureen

Maureen is a fully certified trainer who holds the WSET Diploma, working full-time in the Irish wine industry since 1991. Prior to setting up Premier Wine Training in 2010, she worked in wine companies including Findlaters and Gilbeys. She has been fortunate to train and work with some of Ireland’s best wine people and taste wine with some of the world’s most famous winemakers.

Search

Upcoming Wine Courses

  • 1) Mon 25 Jan: WSET L2 Wines Online 1) Mon 25 Jan: WSET L2 Wines Online
  • 2) Mon 25 Jan: WSET L3 online 2) Mon 25 Jan: WSET L3 online
  • 3) Mon 15 Feb: WSET L2 Wine 3) Mon 15 Feb: WSET L2 Wine
  • 4) Wed 17 Feb: WSET Level 3 Wines 4) Wed 17 Feb: WSET Level 3 Wines
  • 5) Sat 20 Feb: 1 day wine course 5) Sat 20 Feb: 1 day wine course
  • 6) Mon 22 Feb: WSET L2 online 6) Mon 22 Feb: WSET L2 online
  • 7) Mon 22 Feb: WSET L1 Wines 7) Mon 22 Feb: WSET L1 Wines
  • 8) Sat 13 Mar:1 day wine tasting course 8) Sat 13 Mar:1 day wine tasting course
  • 9a) Tues 6 Apr: WSET L2 Wine 9a) Tues 6 Apr: WSET L2 Wine
  • 9b)Sat 24 Apr:1 day wine tasting course 9b)Sat 24 Apr:1 day wine tasting course

Talking About Wine

Tweets about "#wine"

Premier Wine Training on Facebook

Copyright © 2021 · Premier Wine Training · Dublin Webdesign & SEO by Hoot.ie

Copyright © 2021 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in