2016 Granbazán Albariño

In March of this year we attended a Rias Baixas Albariño wine tasting at Succotash, a restaurant at National Harbor in Maryland. Although Albariño wines beg for seafood, at the Succotash restaurant we saw the versatility of this grape with southern cooking. One of my favorite pairings for this wine was the fried chicken on a biscuit with okra garnishing. The Albariño enhanced the food. This presentation of Albariño and the restaurant was organized by the New York firm Gregory White PR. Since the March tasting, the firm has sent us additional bottles of Albariño to taste.

2016 Martin Códax Albariño

We recently received two Albariños from Rias Baixas. Since Thanksgiving was just around the corner, we decided to see if this exotic white grape could stand up to the different flavors of a Thanksgiving meal. The wines included a 2016 Martin Códax Albariño and a 2016 Granbazán Albariño. The Martin Códax had citrus and mineral on the aroma. The taste had a silky mouthed and offered lemon, lemongrass and mineral. The very crisp finish had some citrus yielding to mineral. The Granbazán also had citrus and mineral on the aroma. There was a touch of sweetness on the taste that emphasized the citrus, lemongrass and mineral. The crisp finish showcased mineral.

How did the wine match up with Thanksgiving dinner? The crisp acidity was a nice palate cleanser. As such it paired well with turkey and stuffing. We also had ham and the wines complimented rather than overpowered. As a result, they both would do well during the entire holiday season. Prior to dinner, the wines matched well with hard cheeses. When shopping for holiday wines, consider an Albariño  from the Rias Baixas wine region of Spain.

Cheers,
Terry