Galicia: Where the Exquisite Albariño Grows
Dramatic cliffs, wind-swept beaches, foggy fishing towns, and a bagpipe soundtrack. Sounds like Ireland, right? Actually, we’re talking about Rias Baìxas, a wine region in Galicia in the Northwest corner of Spain.
Galicia owes both its musical tradition (bagpipes are called “La Gaita” here) and its fair-skinned brethren to Celtic settlers who were established in the region as early as 11th century B.C. The native tongue here is “Gallego”, a distinct language that resembles a blend of Portuguese & Spanish. Rainy and verdantly green, Rias Baìxas is famous for its exquisite Albariño, Spain’s most well-known white grape varietal.
History
Like so many of Europe’s wine regions, Galicia has been planted since Roman times. When phylloxera decimated the region at the turn of the 20th century, winemakers began to plant hardier grape varietals from other parts of Spain, like Palomino and Garnacha Tintorera. The new imports flourished in their Celtic-influenced home, but produced a wine of poor quality that degraded the region’s reputation.
About 25 years ago the Galician wine industry switched back to the indigenous grape varietals for which they are now famous, the most notable of which is Albariño, the belle of the Rias Baìxas ball. She’s the prettiest, most popular girl in school, but try as you might, you cannot hate her: Spanish Albariños are lovely, high quality whites, that taste especially delicious when paired with Galiacian specialties like pulpo and other fruits of the sea.
Climate
The five sub regions that compose Rias Baìxas have an Atlantic climate with heavy rainfall and high humidity. It’s so damp there that the grapes must be cultivated on trellises to avoid mildew and rotting. These swampy conditions and cooler temperatures allow grapes that produce crisp, bright, higher acid whites.
Soil
The soils are “poor” in this region, which is a good thing when it comes to wine. The grapes must struggle to produce good fruit in the acidic, loose, sandy soil. Their plight is our gain, resulting in aromatic, crisp white wines that are delicious with seafood.
Varietals
Most wine made in Rias Baìxas is Albariño, usually as single varietal wine. Though 90% of plantings in the region are Albariño, eleven other grapes are permitted for cultivation, including Loureira, Txeixadura, Godello, Caiño, and Torrontés. A blending grape in Galicia, Torrontés appears as a single varietal wine in Argentina, which some believe could be evidence of a massive migration of Galicians to Argentina, where the colloquial term for Spaniards is “Gallegos”.
Though white wines are Rias Baìxas’ strong suit, red wines permitted for production include Mencía and Brancellao.
Vineyard plots tend to be very small in Rias Baìxas, which means all harvesting is done by hand. An increasing number of winemakers have begun to put their wines through full or partial malolactic fermentation, making them creamier and fuller and enabling the wines to age. Most Albariños do not see any oak, but some modern winemakers are moving towards barrel fermentation with French, American, and even native Galician oak.
Wines to Try
Sip these on a patio somewhere as you soak up the summer sun:
Pazo de Galegos Green apple and green almonds on the nose with lively acidity on the palate, grassy flavors, green apple and lime skin with a dry finish. This wine is perfect as an aperitif or with light seafood starters.
Pazo Señoráns One of the most prestigious houses in Rias Baìxas, this very highly rated wine is made by influential female winemaker Marisol Bueno. This wine has golden delicious apple and light flintiness in the nose. The palette is weighty with flavors or pear, golden delicious apple, and longer finish with more mellow acidity. A great wine for lovers of French chardonnay, especially Chablis.
Do Ferreiro An organic wine made from older vines, ranging in age from 50-200 years located on 8 different vineyard plots in close proximity to the ocean. This wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts then aged on the lees, giving it a softer quality with slightly different fruit than the aforementioned wines. Muscadet drinkers will like this wine, which is made from grapes cultivated in granite and sand soils. Not as aromatic as the other Albariños mentioned with a slightly briny nose and lots of green apple peel. Nice minerality with soft acidity, fuller quality in the mouth and limey tang. A soft, elegant wine.
Kirsten Amann is a freelance writer and publicist specializing in wine, cocktails, and food. She is a founding member of the Boston chapter of Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC Boston), and writes extensively on cocktails for LUPEC Boston under the byline “Pink Lady”; check out what she’s mixing up at lupecboston.com.
Pretty awesome article. Spanish wines are some of the best around — many of their vineyards have been planted longer than anything in France. And since Spain isn’t on the radar nearly as much as France or Napa (zzzzzz), almost everything you can get is a great deal.