Paco & Lola, Albariño, Rías Baixas, 2019
Albariño, from the Rías Baixas region of Galicia in the north-west of Spain, is one of my favourite wines. With its Atlantic climate, moderate year-round temperatures, ocean mists and above-average rainfall, this coastal region is more reminiscent of Ireland than the sun-drenched beaches of holiday-destination Spain. But despite the dampness, the area is also blessed with many hours of warm sunshine, enabling the Albariño grapes to ripen and produce wines that are naturally high in acidity, with floral aromas, and citrus and stone-fruit flavours, sometimes perhaps even a hint of salinity.
Given its maritime context, Albariño is a perfect partner for seafood. It goes hand in hand with grilled octopus and I recall enjoying it with razor clams in Santiago a few years ago, but it goes well with most seafood dishes, as well as chicken, and manchego cheese.
Albariño is an increasingly popular wine. Sales in the UK and the US have been growing in leaps and bounds in the last couple of years, and retail forecasts are suggesting another bumper year ahead for Albariño in 2021. And that is hardly surprising. Albariño wines are very versatile: light, fresh, lower alcohol wines that can be drunk by themselves or with food.
As far as this particular Albariño is concerned, I was intrigued when I read the report of the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 (Decanter, March 2021 issue) which described it as ‘scintillating’. It went on to say ‘Stone-fresh, crunchy, vivid and pungent: everything you want on the palate, and more.’
But it was the ‘scintillating’ that caught my eye. I wasn’t really sure what it meant in this context and so I simply had to give it a try to find out. And I’m sure glad I did!
A fresh, lively wine, high in acidity, with aromas of lychees, apricot and peach on the nose, and flavours of lime, lemon, peach on the palate. There’s also a touch of salinity. This is a perfectly balanced wine with a lovely long finish. We had it with sea bass and it was just the ticket. If I were to describe it in one word: scintillating. Now I get it!
If you’re looking for something to brighten up your weekend, this will do nicely. It was a great start to ours!
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