With the feasts, bonfires, picnics, songs and dances of the solstice behind us, it's time for summer wine. I still love rosé for picnics and bubbles for sunset, but there's a refreshing grape from the Iberian peninsula that deserves your attention.
In northwestern Spain, the lightness and zippyness of albariño wine (with heady aromas of peach and honeysuckle) make it perfect for the heat of summer. Albariño also has an underlying seashell minerality, which makes it a great match with shellfish and other seafood, reinforcing the axiom that "what grows together goes together." The misty region of Galicia is home to Rías Baixas (REE-ass BY-shass) that acquired official status as a "Denominación de Origen" (DO) in 1988. Designated wines are your guarantee of varietal character and, in most cases, are symbols of quality.
Since you're probably most familiar with California wines, let's use them as a corollary. Jug or box wines may simply list a grape and the state of origin; a better one will identify a specific region, like Napa or Sonoma, and qualify to be listed as an AVA (American Viticultural Area) with specific distinguishable features, or what the French call terroir. So, for example, in Italy, look for certification in three categories of decreasing strictness — DOCG, DOC and IGT — and AOC or AOP in France. Your wine merchant will guide you. Finding and tasting with a retailer you trust will help expand your wine horizons and understand your palate. This is a lifelong pursuit of knowledge; don't allow yourself to be overwhelmed. Remember, you eat an elephant "one bite at a time."
Let's return to drinking in Iberia. Tucked just below the Galicia region as you cross the Minho river into Portugal, the albariño grape becomes "alvarinho" and produces a wine known as Vinho Verde (green wine) that often blends with some other local varietals. The name doesn't reflect the color, but instead refers to a style of wine, different from Spain, meant to be drunk young.
Traditionally, Vinho Verde is bottled right after fermentation, undergoing a second (malolactic) fermentation in the bottle to produce CO2 that dissolves in the wine. While the cork doesn't pop, there's a slight pétillance, a refreshing prickle on the palate that's ideal in the heat. You may have encountered Italian wines that are frizzante (e.g. red Lambrusco), which has the same delightful crackle.
Vinho Verde is a simple, inexpensive way to celebrate summer with clams, lobster, crabs or shrimp. Some producers add a bit of sweetness to counter the searing tartness for New World palates. More typically, though, the wines are dry and low in alcohol (~9 percent) with rapier-like acidity. They're also pale in color and delicately perfumed, featuring fresh flavors of green apples, mint and a light, spicy nuttiness.
Albariño hasn't made huge inroads in the New World. However, there are American producers in California, Oregon and Washington experimenting. Whether you call it albariño or alvarinho, the wine's worth exploring on your quest for the perfect summer libation.
This article appears in Jun 30 – Jul 7, 2016.
