What is
Abarino

Albariño

The Albariño grape is a white grape variety that accounts for 90% of plantings in the Rías Baixas region of Spain.  It is a small, green, thick-skinned variety that resists fungal disease in the particularly damp climate of Rías Baixas. Albariño is a low yielding variety and expensive to cultivate.  It is also one of the few Spanish white grape varieties produced as a varietal wine on its own and has an official label from the Consejo Regulador ensuring quality standards. Most often fermented in stainless steel for early drinking, Albariño is a versatile grape. It responds well to malolactic fermentation and creates wines of wonderful complexity.

Albariño produces a crisp, aromatic and zesty wine with characteristics varying from subzone to subzone – more “melony” qualities from Val do Salnés, peachier and softer notes from O Rosal and earthier styles from Condado do Tea.

Other grape varieties that account for much smaller percentages of plantings include Treixadura, Loureiro, Caiño Blanco, Torrontes and Godello.

Treixadura: (tray-scha-du-ra):  Galician name for the native Portuguese grape variety Trajadura grown in Rίas Baixas. Treixadura is an intensely scented delicate variety, vinified and treated in much the same way as Albariño. It needs to be picked early, however, to retain acidity. Prominently grown in the Condado do Tea sub-zone, Treixadura is most often blended with Albariño and sometimes with Loureiro, where it adds delicate lemony-pepper overtones.

Loureiro: (loo-ray-row):  A high quality Galician white grape variety with high acidity grown in Rías Baixas. An aromatic “louro” (laurel) scented variety, it is often blended with Treixadura and sometimes Albariño but can also be found as an aromatic varietal wine on its own. The finished wine always has a rich, soft, peachy fruit character..