Suddenly one October afternoon I fell in love with Albariño, the bright and lovely Spanish white wine. I had visited the home of Albariño before; it’s a charming, ancient land of rolling hills touched by Atlantic breezes in the northwest corner of Spain.
Yet, here I was in New York city, at the annual Great Match of Spanish wines, in the corner of a ballroom, when it hit me. The wines ranged from enchantingly light to beautifully mouthfilling. They were well-balanced, with fruity aromas yet minerally interiors, finishing dry. The wines worked with a variety of ethnic bites like delectable shrimp shumai, potato-pea samosas, slightly spicy Thai shaved beef and tuna empanadas.
I sipped half a dozen and smiled. I tried them with a variety of tapas, then sighed because now it was time for me to move on. Here are the wines I tasted:
Paco & Lola 2007 Albariño, Adega e Viñedos RosalÃa de Castro
Salneval Albariño 2007, Adega Condes de Albarei
Terra Firme Albariño 2006, Agnusdei
Brandal Albariño 2007, Adegas d’Altamira
Burgáns Albariño 2007, Bodegas Martin Códex
Laxas Albariño 2007
By the way the home of Albariño is Rias Baixas [pronounced REE-ahss BY-shahss] in the region of Spain called Galicia. These wines are all DO Rias Baixas, retailing for $10- $22.
