Sunday, August 23, 2009

August Wine Club - Albariño

Wine Club met last Thurday and we took a look at two Albarinos from Spain. If you are unfamiliar with Albariños here is a quick explantion -

Albariño (grape)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Albariño or Alvarinho (Portuguese) is a variety of white wine grape grown in Galicia (northwest Spain) and Monção (northwest Portugal), where it is used to make varietal white wines.

Albariño is actually the Galician name for the grape, with Albarín Blanco an occasional synonym. In Portugal it is known as Alvarinho, and sometimes as Cainho Branco.

It was presumably brought to Iberia by Cluny monks in the twelfth century. Its name "Alba-Riño" means "the white from Rhine" and it has locally been thought to be a Riesling clone originating from the Alsace region of France, although earliest known records of Riesling as a grape variety date from the 15th, rather than the 12th, century. It is also theorized that the grape is a close relative of the French grape Petit Manseng.



It should not be confused with the Alvarinho Liláz grape of Madeira.

Wine characteristics

The grape is noted for its distinctive aroma, very similar to that of Viognier, Gewurztraminer, and Petit Manseng, suggesting apricot and peach. The wine produced is unusually light, and generally high in acidity with alcohol levels of 11.5-12.5%. Its thick skins and large number of pips can cause residual bitterness.


"The take home bottle"

Here is the LCBO information on both of the wines -

LÍCIA ALBARIÑO 2007
Stock Number – 114397
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 19.95
Wine, White Wine,
12.1% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: Spain, Spain
By: Winebow Inc.
Release Date: May 2, 2009

Tasting Note - Spain's Riaxas Baixas region is known for its Albariño. This charming dry white wine comes in a pretty yellow dress just perfect for a twirl. A sip exudes aromas of fresh green apples with intriguing minerality. The lemony acidity strikes a melodious chord when paired with grilled octopus sprinkled with fresh-squeezed lemon juice, or seared tuna topped with piquillo peppers (small, slightly hot variety from Spain) and drizzled with balsamic. (Maureen C. Petrosky, www.fineliving.com, Undated)

"The comparison bottle"

2005 ALBARINO RIAS BAIXAS (FILLABOA)

Stock Number - 40204

Price: $ 28.75

Wine, White Wine,

12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Made in: Spain, Spain
By: Bodegas Fillaboa
Release Date: N/A

Tasting notes – None


"Lemon Chicken"

I poured the Fillaboa Albariño first and was a little nervous at first as the colour was very dark for a white wine (almost amber). Nosing it, I got peach, apple and some lemon but nothing to indicate it was off. I poured the Lícia and it was a much lighter colour (more a pale straw hue). The nose on the Lícia was very close to the Fillaboa but there was more apple than peach and the lemon note was very faint on the Lícia. In tasting both wines we found both very similar; highly acidic with lemon being the predominant flavour. The main difference between the two was the softer acidity of the Fillaboa.

"Notice on the colour of the Fillaboa on the right"

I’ll be honest here and say that on their own, I wasn’t a huge fan of either wine as the acidity for both was over the top. As food pairings, Erik prepared cheese & crackers and a pot of lemon chicken. The wines were much better with the cheese then on their own; they were really good with the Gouda and decent with the Blue Cheese. The best match though was the lemon chicken as it did a very good job of neutralizing the acid of the wine and made both wines much more fruit forward and accessible.
"Another angle with the Fillaboa still on the right"

The preference between the Fillaboa and Lícia was split about 50/50 between Wine Club members. But when I asked if they’d be willing to pay $9 more for the Fillaboa, no one thought it was worth the extra money.

With lemon being a dominate flavour of both of the Albariños, I can easily see why in the LCBO Lícia tasting note they are recommending a couple of seafood dishes. Lemon and seafood is always a nice combination.

It was fun to try a new grape and I’d like to thank Erik for bringing in the food as it was delicious.

Cheers!

Mark

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