We are having lovely weather right now, and although I’ve got quite a few fabulous red wines up my sleeve, I am once again settling for something lighter, appropriate to a sunny break! But this doesn’t mean I am going to talk about something merely to quench the thirst, oh no. It’s time for a little palate exercise in wine appreciation.

And what better to start with than a distinguished varietal that is hardly grown anywhere outside its home region? Spanish Albariño from Galicia, or Alvarinho as it is called across the border in Portugal, is virtually unknown (unbottled) to people from other countries. Bottled Albariño is another matter. Torontonians that frequent abundant Portuguese hangouts of the city may have tasted it many times eithout even realizing it, as it is one of the seven officially recommended varietals for the production of classic Portuguese frizzante new wine vinho verde. But what has really made Albariño fashionable among the wine-lovers right now is the varietal still white wine produced in the Rías Baixas region of Spain, appreciated for its elegance, concentration of flavours and rich bouquet.

The LCBO website currently features nine different Albariño wines (ranging in price from $14.70 up to $23.15, all from Rías Baixas), but I was hard put to find even two of them on the same premises simultaneously. So far I have tried only the $17.95 Andión Albariño 2005 made by Núñez (presumably cold-fermented and partly even in Californian oak, very up-to-date!). It was an exceptional combination of opulent honey aroma and enticingly severe dry taste with hints of minerality, a really impressive wine. Not for nothing one of the most famous winemakers from Spain, Miguel Torres, thinks Albariño to be related to Riesling! Could it have been brought by pilgrims from Alsace to Santiago de Compostela and its vicinity as it is sometimes surmised? I do not know, but the fact remains that it is one of the most noble and complex white varietals in the world and I am very much looking forward to the other Albariño bottle I have secured, Laxas Albariño of the same 2005 vintage.

In the meantime New World winemakers have started to catch up, but so far (compare Tim Teichgraeber’s article on Albariño in San Francisco Chronicle) it seems that a sprinkle of Albariño vineyards exists only in the US. Still, Albariño is definitely in – although let’s hope it never becomes party plonk and gets as trite as Chardonnay did! It is at its best when served to a small company of discriminating friends, it could also be perfect for a romantic date. What are working food combinations for Albariño? All kinds of fish and seafood, not to mention the fine scallops of St. James (coquilles Saint-Jacques), symbols of pilgrimage to the above mentioned homeland of Albariño varietal, Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. I also would enjoy Albariño with its perfectly balanced acidity as an aperitif too, not to mention a gastronomic harmony one could create matching Albariño with many kinds of tapas. Sometimes I feel that I do like the concept of fashion after all – how else could I have an opportunity of drinking Albariño in Toronto?