We know and love Albariño. But have you ever tried Albarin Blanco? Today we’re going to explore this other yummy white Spanish grape.
Albariño
In Spain, the grape constitutes more than 90 percent of the grapes planted in the Rias Baixas area. The grape also grows in Portugal, where it’s called Alvarinho or Vinho Verde.
Albariño is light, citrusy and refreshing with high acidity. You’re likely to get some creaminess from the lees (a mix of dead yeast, grape skins and seeds stems) to round it out.
Notable flavors and aromas include apricot, lime, orange, almond, mineral, nectarine, grapefruit, lemon and apple.
Albarin Blanco
Albarín Blanco is a rare light-skinned grape variety that’s been growing in northwestern Spain for more than 300 years. Until recently, it was mostly used for bulk wine. WineEnthusiast tells us that “Albarín was largely forgotten until 2002, when Monasterio de Corias decided to produce a white wine with it—a total of 200 bottles. More recently, a rise in popularity of native grapes and smaller production wines has resulted in a major uptick in Albarín production and replanting of the grape throughout Spain.
“Albarín is often confused for Albariño because of its similar name, even though they are quite different. While both are refreshing and acidic, Albariño boasts zesty citrus notes while Albarín features floral notes.”
Pardevalles Albarín
This is the wine we tried, thanks to my favorite wine store in Portland, Cherries and Figs.
VinoVI&Co. tells us that Rafael Alonso, the owner of Pardevalles, found the grape on his estate. Resisting calls to rip it up and plant something different, “Rafael has steadily grown Albarín Blanco for over twenty years, and now owns 25 acres, or 20% of the total Albarín Blanco vines in the world.”
This is a bottle well worth finding. If you’ve tried Albarin Blanco, I would love to hear what you thought about it. Cheers!
