Unofficial Varietal of Summer 2011: Albariño

The story: I apologize if this post finds you in rainy, cold, windy, or snowy weather. Just remember that it costs a fortune (and a spirit of extreme patience whilst driving) to live in Southern California where we all but guarantee ourselves warm weather and sunny skies as May approaches. This changing of the seasons has begun and I find myself more and more inclined to chill down a white wine and have dinner outside. In the past couple of weeks I have made a monumental and inconsequential decision that albariño will be the unofficial white wine grape varietal of the summer in my backyard.



Albariño hails from the Rias Baixas region on Spain's Northwest coast in Galicia. The grape is generally produced as a very crisp, completely dry wine praised for its amazing aromatics, and full fruit profile that balances to a pronounced minerality and often a spritz of distinct salinity. Quickly growing in popularity the grape has spread internationally with some recent success. There are several domestic versions of albariño being produced that are impressive and delicious including Verdad, Silver Horse, and Bonny Doon.



The wine: To get the summer started I came across a rather inexpensive and widely available albariño from Rias Baixas Paco y Lola. Bottled in a fun and attractive bottle, this wine seems to expressly lend itself towards casual summer get togethers and frivolous exploration of new things. It is a very straw gold color in the glass and gives off a slightly muted nose of citrus and rock. The palette however is much more expressive with lemon-lime flavors underlined by a dry white flower component and the always pleasant streak of salinity. The acidity of this wine, like most albariño worth it's price, is rather striking lending itself towards a very crisp and refreshing finish.


The verdict: The Paco y Lola is a very nice introduction to this varietal and really perfect for an al fresco dinner on a warm evening. At 13% alcohol it is not going to overwhelm, but has enough fruit and acid to hold up to a wide variety of fare (although I would drink it as an apertif just sitting on the porch personally.) This is one of a handful of these wines that you should be able to find widely, and all of them are south of $16. To be completely honest I have had other bottles of this grape that are more exciting, more expressive, and offer more of what makes me want this to be the wine of the summer. But Paco y Lola is certainly refreshing and true to its varietal. If you can find this one (and I think you can) I have no qualms recommending that you give it a try.


I encourage you to explore albariño if you have not done so in the past. If you are acquainted with this wonderful grape, then I encourage you to shout out suggestion in the comments. Summer 2011 is after all the unofficial year of albariño around here, so I could use all of the suggestions you got.



This wine was provided as a media sample with intent to review