Albariño Archives - It Must Be Wine O'clock

Here are a few choice wines for you enjoy this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!

Apéritifs

Grüner Veltliner, Von den Terrassen, Winzer Krems, Niederösterreich 2020 (Austria)

This Grüner Veltliner from Lower Austria is a perfect apéritif.

It is a fresh, elegant wine with pronounced aromas of blossom, apple and peach, and a touch of white pepper on the nose, leading to a delicious burst of apple, lemon, peach and nectarine on the palate. A tinge of effervescence adds a little sparkle to the mix and the mineral notes and refreshing acidity make for a very well-balanced wine. This is a dry wine with a lengthy finish which will get your Christmas lunch off to a fine start!

Available from Majestic (£10.99, Mix Six £8.99)

Grove Mill, Wairau Valley, Marlborough 2021 (New Zealand)

This aromatic Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is a real treat. Pronounced aromas of elderflower, peach, lychee and guava on the nose herald flavours of lime, nectarine and passion fruit on the palate. The layers of fruit are well supported by the bright acidity and lasting finish, and a hint of minerality adds a further level. A delightful wine offering great value for money.

Available from Co-op (£9.50)

White wines

Paco & Lola Albariño 2021 (Spain)

Year after year, Paco & Lola come up trumps with their Albariño to create award-winning wines.

This is a fresh, crisp wine, high in acidity, with aromas of blossom, lemon and apple on the nose, and flavours of apple, peach and nectarine on the palate. It is a well-balanced, medium-bodied wine with a lengthy finish, which matches perfectly with white meat and fish dishes.

Available from Tesco, Sainsbury’s (£12- £14)

Vavasour Sauvignon Blanc 2021 Awatere Valley (New Zealand)

This elegant Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough’s smaller, cooler Awatere Valley is an ideal wine to go with seafood or white meat. An aromatic wine with notes of citrus and peach on the nose leading to stone fruit flavours and a refreshing minerality on the palate, it has a lively acidity, a creamy mouthfeel and a long finish.

Available from Co-op (£11)

Hazel End Vineyard Bacchus Dry 2014 (Hertfordshire)

This 2014 Bacchus Dry from Hazel End Vineyard in Hertfordshire is a real delight. With aromas of grapefruit, elderflower, lime and a touch of petrol on the nose, leading to a burst of lime and peach on the palate, this older Bacchus has a hint of Riesling about it. It is a smooth, refined wine with good acidity and a long finish, and goes well with a seafood or chicken dish.

Available from Grape Britannia (£14.99)

Red wines

Somborne Estate Reserve Red 2014 (Hampshire)

This delightful red wine made from Rondo grapes grown in Hampshire is an ideal match for the complex blend of flavours associated with a traditional Christmas lunch. Deep ruby in colour, this is a rich, smooth, medium-bodied, well-balanced wine. With blackberry, plum and black cherry aromas, and notes of cinnamon and vanilla, on the nose, and rich black fruit flavours with savoury notes on the palate, it’s a wine with depth and complexity.

Available from Grape Brita nnia (£15.99)

Georges Duboeuf Fleurie, Beaujolais 2020 (France)

This is a Beaujolais from one of the region’s most experienced winemakers, Georges Duboeuf, and it is a very good wine. It has pronounced aromas of raspberry and strawberry, together with hints of cream and blossom on the nose, and intense red fruit flavours on the palate. A light, refreshing medium-bodied wine, with medium acidity and a long finish, it will go particularly well with cold meats, duck or a plant-based dish.

Available from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Majestic (£11-£13)

Château Caronne Ste.Gemme Haut-Médoc, 2016

This is a well-balanced Bordeaux red from the Left Bank. A Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend, it has bramble, cooked fruit and blackberry aromas on the nose, together with hints of vanilla and spice, and black fruit flavours and a touch of earthiness on the palate. A full-bodied wine which will go well with roast meat or roasted vegetable dishes.

Available from Majestic (£16.99, £14.99 Mix Six)

Dessert wines

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Pedro Ximénez (Spain)

Christmas is a time for indulgence. And this is pure indulgence! This Pedro Ximénez (PX) from Sainsbury’s is a full-bodied, lusciously sweet wine with sufficient acidity to balance the sweetness and create a long, velvety finish. With aromas of honey, raisin and toffee, reminiscent of a mince pie, on the nose, and coffee, caramel and toffee flavours on the palate, this is almost a dessert in its own right.

A perfect match for Christmas pudding or other rich dessert, and mature cheese, it can also simply be drizzled over vanilla ice cream for another-worldly experience!

Available from Sainsbury’s (£8)

Campbell’s Rutherglen Muscat (Australia)

The lusciously sweet Campbell’s Rutherglen Muscat is another treat. Made from a blend of vintages of Muscat à petit grains rouges (Rutherglen Brown Muscat), it has flavours of fruitcake, dates and nuts, and is a smooth, wonderfully balanced wine. It is a perfect match for cheese or dessert.

Available from Waitrose (£10.49)

Merry Christmas!

Look out for more wine suggestions from around the world in 2023.

Cheers!

A fresh, lively Albariño from north-west Spain: perfect for summer drinking

Paco & Lola Albariño 2021 (Rías Baixas)

Although Spain is well known for its red wines, in recent years its white wines have been growing in popularity, too. And this Albariño, from the Rías Baixas region of Galicia in the north-west of the country, is definitely one to try. As well as its Atlantic climate, moderate year-round temperatures, ocean mists and above-average rainfall, the region 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.

This Paco & Lola 2021 is a fine example of a very good Albariño wine. Having enjoyed the 2019 and 2020 wines, I was very glad to see that the 2021 vintage is now available.

This is a fresh, lively wine, high in acidity, with aromas of blossom, lemon and apple on the nose, and flavours of apple, peach and nectarine on the palate. It is a well-balanced, medium-bodied wine with an attractive creamy mouthfeel and a lengthy finish.

Enjoy this by itself as an aperitif or as a perfect match for seafood.

Available from Sainsbury’s (currently on offer at £11)

A fresh, zippy Albariño to brighten up your day!

Paco & Lola, Albariño 2020 (Spain)

Though Spain is best known for its red wines, it is quietly making a name for itself as a key white wine producer, with lots of interesting indigenous whites to discover. One of the best known is Albariño from the Rías Baixas region of Galicia in north-west Spain. Albariño is one of my favourite wines and this Paco & Lola 2020 is a fine example of what this grape variety is capable of.

With its Atlantic climate, moderate year-round temperatures, ocean mists and above-average rainfall, the Rías Baixas 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.

This wine from Paco & Lola is a fresh, lively wine, with zippy acidity and a lovely long finish. It has aromas of apricot and peach on the nose, and flavours of lime, lemon, peach and a hint of minerality on the palate. It’s a well-balanced wine which makes for an ideal aperitif but is also a perfect partner for seafood.

Available from Tesco and Sainsbury’s (£12-£14)

Twelve wines for Christmas!

This past year I have particularly enjoyed exploring English and Welsh wines and it has been a delightful voyage of discovery. And so I have also included some choice wines from our fair isle in this list of Christmas wines for you to enjoy either with food, or simply when you are chilling out with your favourite film over the festive period. Merry Christmas!

Apéritifs

If sherry is your favourite pre-prandial tipple, the Don Gaspar Dry Amontillado Lustau has a pleasant nutty and dried fruit flavour, together with a hint of tanginess. It is perfect with cured meats, manchego and olives. Waitrose (£11.99)

If you’re looking for a refreshing sparkling wine to get your Christmas lunch off to a fine start, this Nyetimber Classic Cuvée MV is a treat. With flavours of honey, almond and brioche on the palate, this is a very fine and elegant sparkling wine. It is no wonder it is consistently judged top of its game. Grape Britannia (£32.99, also available as a half bottle).

Or why not try a fresh and light Greek white wine? The Moschofilero-Roditis 2020 from Marks & Spencer’s Found range brings together the floral attributes and zippy citrus flavours of the two grape varieties. The result is a dry white wine with Muscaty, honeyed tones and a minerally, lemon tang to create a well-balanced wine with a lengthy finish. Marks & Spencer (£8.50)

White wines

This Paco & Lola Albariño 2019, described by Decanter as ‘everything you want on the palate, and more’ is a fresh, lively wine with flavours of lime, lemon, peach and a touch of salinity. It is a very well-balanced wine that is a perfect match for white meat and fish dishes. Tesco, Sainsbury’s (£12- £14)

The Camel Valley Atlantic Dry 2020 is a delightful blend of Pinot Blanc and Bacchus grapes. It is a dry, medium-bodied wine with refreshing acidity and flavours of apple and peach. This is an ideal wine for a fish or seafood dish – you can almost feel the sea air and hear the waves of the Cornish coast as you drink it. Grape Britannia (£14.99)

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Jurançon Sec is a dry wine made from a blend of Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng grapes from southwest France. With flavours of apple, pear and grapefruit, it has medium acidity and a medium finish. This is a wine that will handle the myriad flavours of a festive Christmas lunch very well if you prefer white wine with your main dish. Sainsbury’s (£9)

Red wines

The complex interplay of flavours associated with a traditional Christmas turkey lunch means that a wine with lower tannins will cope better. The Winbirri Signature 2017, made from Norfolk-grown Dornfelder grapes, has blackberry and cherry flavours, together with a hint of toastiness and spice. This is a well-structured wine with medium tannins and a long, smooth finish. It will be an excellent match for your turkey and trimmings. Grape Britannia (£14.99)

A Malbec from Cahors will go well with duck or pork and Le Grand Retour 2018 is a dry wine with medium acidity and medium tannins. It has flavours of blackberry and jamminess, with a hint of chocolate and liquorice, and is a well-balanced, medium-bodied wine. Majestic (£11.99, Mix Six £9.99)

For something bolder, this 1000 Stories Zinfandel 2018 from California is a very good full-bodied wine. It has intense black fruit flavours together with vanilla and caramel on the palate. It is a well-balanced wine with a lingering finish, and will cope well with roast beef or similar strong flavours. Tesco, Sainsbury’s (£15).

Dessert wines

Christmas is a time for indulgence. And what nicer indulgence than a glass of port? Taylor’s 10-year old Tawny Port has a fruity, nutty flavour to enjoy with cheese or dessert, or post-lunch while watching the Queen’s speech. Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose (£16-£22)

The Australian Campbell’s Rutherglen Muscat is another treat. This is a lusciously sweet wine made from a blend of vintages of Muscat à petit grains rouges (Rutherglen Brown Muscat). With flavours of fruitcake, dates and nuts, this is a smooth, wonderfully balanced wine. It is a perfect match for cheese or dessert. Majestic (£14.99, Mix Six £12.49)

Why not try a Welsh fortified wine? The White Castle Vineyard 1581 is a cracking way to finish your lunch. Or perhaps try it with a mince pie later in the day. Well, anytime really – it’s a delight. A soft, smooth wine with a long finish, it has rich blackberry and plum flavours on the palate. In a word, heavenly. Grape Britannia (£27.49).

Merry Christmas!

Look out for more wine suggestions from around the world in 2022.

Cheers!

There’s a lot more to Spanish wine than Rioja. Think ‘polka dot’ – a scintillating Albariño for example …

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!

Currently on offer at Sainsbury’s £11.99 (save £3)