{"id":14027,"date":"2017-03-09T07:36:55","date_gmt":"2017-03-09T12:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/winetrailtraveler.com\/blog\/?p=14027"},"modified":"2017-03-09T07:37:15","modified_gmt":"2017-03-09T12:37:15","slug":"rias-baixas-albarino-the-next-exotic-white-wine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/winetrailtraveler.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/09\/rias-baixas-albarino-the-next-exotic-white-wine\/","title":{"rendered":"R\u00edas Baixas Albari\u00f1o: the Next Exotic White Wine"},"content":{"rendered":"
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R\u00edas Baixas Albari\u00f1o<\/p><\/div>\n

On Tuesday, we were invited to an Albari\u00f1o wine tasting at Succotash<\/a>, a restaurant at National Harbor in Maryland. The Albari\u00f1o wines were from the R\u00edas Baixas region of Galicia, Spain. The restaurant was an interesting choice. Rather than Spanish tapas, Succotash specializes in a Southern menu. This did not seem to phase the Albari\u00f1o. Although in Spain, the Albari\u00f1o grape cries out for all different types of seafood, I enjoyed the Albari\u00f1o with the small plates of food prepared by the chefs at Succotash. My favorite was fried chicken on a biscuit with okra garnishing the top. The Albari\u00f1o and the food matched well.<\/p>\n

The wine tasting was a sit-down teach and taste led by wine author Mark Oldman<\/a>. Mark\u2019s newest title is How to Drink Like a Billionaire: Mastering Wine with Joie de Vivre<\/em> published autumn 2016. Mark knew his audience of wine writers, restaurant staff\u00a0and wine retailers. He used humor and the knowledge he had of the R\u00edas Baixas area and Albari\u00f1o to entertain the group while tasting the first six wines. Also attending were Javier Izurieta Romero from the producer Pazo de Se\u00f1orans and Mariola Varona Bayolo from the producer Mart\u00edn C\u00f3dax.<\/p>\n

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Javier Izurieta Romero from the producer Pazo de Se\u00f1orans and Mariola Varona Bayolo from the producer Mart\u00edn C\u00f3dax<\/p><\/div>\n

We learned, through tasting, that not all Albari\u00f1o wines are the same. Their tasting profiles were varied. We tasted six Albari\u00f1o wines during the sit down presentation.\u00a0 The first Albari\u00f1o was a 2015 from Pazo de Se\u00f1orans. The yellow colored wine offered yellow stone fruit and citrus on the aroma and taste. Also on the taste there was a hint of mineral with a very slight trace of salt. The medium-bodied wine also had an oily mouthfeel. The mineral finish was fruity. The suggested retail price is $21.<\/p>\n

The second wine was a 2015 Ram\u00f3n Bilbao Albari\u00f1o by producer Mar de Frades. This wine had a bright yellow color and offered lemongrass and citrus aromas. The taste also had lemon, lemongrass and mineral. The wine was very crisp. The suggested retail price is $14. The third wine was a Mart\u00edn C\u00f3dax 2015 Albari\u00f1o. It had a bright yellow color with a gold hue. The aroma and taste exhibited melon, citrus, mineral and a slight hint of sea salt. The wine had a medium-full body with a mineral and fruity finish. Mariola Varona Bayolo mentioned that this wine was begging for sea food. The suggested retail price is $15.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The fourth wine in the flight was a 2015 Valmi\u00f1or Albari\u00f1o. The yellow colored wine had notes of citrus, melon and mineral. It had a full-body and the finish yielded from fruity to mineral. The suggested retail price is $14. The producer Bodegas as Laxas produced the fifth wine tasted, a Laxas 2016.\u00a0 The yellow colored wine had a tropical fruit aroma. The wine tickled the tongue. The taste had tropical fruits in the foreground with a mineral background. The wine had a medium-full body and was very crisp. The suggested retail price is $20. Our last Albari\u00f1o in the flight was a 2015 Santiago Ruiz. This Albari\u00f1o was a blend of 69% Albari\u00f1o, 13% Loureiro, 9% Treixandura, 5% Godello and 4% Cia\u00f1o Blanco. The wine had an aroma of tropical fruits and fruit tree blossoms. The taste reminded me of peaches, fruit tree blossoms and a hint of pineapple. It was medium-bodied with a very crisp and citrus finish. The suggested retail price is $20.<\/p>\n

Of the six wines, my favorite was the first one by Pazo de Se\u00f1orans. As I looked around the room, several people had wine left in all their glasses except the first glass. Perhaps we were just thirsty or several people liked this Albari\u00f1o.<\/p>\n

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After the presentation, a small plate of food was delivered. The small tastes included fried green tomatoes, a short rib croquette and shrimp. All items paired well with the Albari\u00f1o. The acidity of the wine helped cleanse the palate. The second part of our Albari\u00f1o event had an additional six Albari\u00f1o wines and small plates of food from the restaurant. This was a time for socializing and sampling how well the food paired with Albari\u00f1o. Southern cooking does match very well with Albari\u00f1o wines.<\/p>\n

Cheers,
\nTerry<\/p>\n