| |
Albariño |
The Albariño grape is the mainstay of wine production in the Rías Baixas denomination in northwestern Spain, representing 92 percent of its plantings, or roughly 5,000 acres. History suggests that Burgundian monks from the Abbey of Cluny who came to Galicia at the invitation of Alfonso VII of Asturias in the 12th and 13th centuries brought the Albariño grape to Spain from France. This has led to the theory that this aromatic variety is related to Riesling or possibly Petit Manseng, but no genetic connection has been established. The most probable assumption is that Albariño is indigenous to Galicia.
Albariño is a late-ripening, moderately cool to warm climate variety with small, conical clusters of small, loosely knit, spherical berries. Though fairly vigorous, the vine is low-yielding due to the proliferation of pips in the berries. Difficult to bring to full maturity, particularly in the areas where it is cultivated, the grape is high in sugar and potential alcohol and extremely high in acid. The fruit is relatively hardy because of the thickness of its skin, a key contributor to its intense fragrance.
Albariño yields a wine with a seductive perfume of citrus, grapefruit, lemon peel and white peach, with pronounced floral and almond notes. The grape’s high extract carries these impressions onto a vivid palate which remains light, elegant and fresh due to the wine’s elevated acidity. Albariño is very rarely given oak contact, but full malolactic fermenation is typically practiced.
Aside from the Rías Baixas, where Albariño made the case for Spain’s white wines in the world, the variety is a staple across the border in the blend of northern Portugal’s Vinho Verde, in the Minho region. Albariño is also an accessory variety in other appellations of Portugal and northern Spain, and a few wineries in California have experimental plantings.
|
|
|
Alternate Names: Alvarinho; Albarin Blanco; Cainho Branco |
|
|
|
