Two for your wine life list
If you’re building your life list of grapes, are looking for new flavors to segue into fall or want to impress your wine-loving friends, try this under-the-radar Spanish grape, Albariño (ahl-bah-REEN-yo).
With flavors compared to stone fruit and citrus, Albariño lies between the liveliness of Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay’s roundness. The grape’s rousing acidity is the natural pairing for seafood, fried foods and any dish garnished with lemon. At One Lake Brewing, 1 Lake St. in Oak Park, where the wine is sold by the glass and bottle, it’s a hit with fish and chips.
Albariño’s homeland is Rias Baixas (REE-ahs BY-jahs), on Spain’s northeast “green coast,” just above Portugal (where the grape is named Alvarinho). The tiny region of about 11,000 acres is farmed by tiny producers, with vineyard plots averaging a half acre.
Four estuaries carry the Atlantic Ocean’s cool damp inland, accounting for the region’s lush greenery, the grape’s acidity and seafood specialties including mussels, clams, sea and bay scallops, and even barnacles.
One of my favorite Albariños is:
Albariño, Bodegas Lagar de Besada, Spain, 2023: Shimmering appearance, delicate and bone-dry with lemon and lemongrass flavors, mineral accents and endless finish. (Along with One Lake Brewing, it’s available in wine bars such as Chicago’s Uvae Kitchen, and independent grocers and shops such as Carnival Grocery in Oak Park and Marche in Glen Ellyn, suggested retail about $21. Distributed by Candid Wines, Chicago.)
Established in 1988 in their garage, this family-run winery was among the first to support the region’s new Denominación de Origen (D.O.), the regulatory system that recognizes and protects a region’s unique characteristics.
As Albariño becomes like a “detour destination” away from well-trodden paths of top-selling grapes, more styles have entered our market. While most are produced in tank, a few are barrel-aged. While adding richness, my palate finds that wood flavors mar the grape’s bright fruit and texture.
Another style adds complexity and softens acidity by resting the new wine on lees (spent yeast cells), a technique also used in Champagne. Lagar de Besada earns top marks in international journals for their Baladiña selection, with seven months lees aging, and Vintage of Baladiña 2012, with 24 months on lees and 10 years bottle age. Unfortunately, these are not currently available in the Chicago area.
I once cautioned shoppers against other regions attempting to copy Albariño’s delicate elegance, until I tasted:
Albariño Reserva, Garzón, Uruguay, 2024: Bursting with ripe stone fruit and citrus flavors, with unctuous texture developing in the glass, dynamic acidity and (in my very young bottle) a delicate carbon dioxide spritz. (Available in major chains, suggested retail about $22. Distributed by Winebow Illinois, Schiller Park.)
If “They make wine in Uruguay?” was your first question, not to worry. Uruguay is an addition to my wine region life list, maybe yours too; watch this column as I learn further developments.
Taste for yourself
From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, you can taste Lagar de Besada Albariño paired with Gambas con Ajillo (Sautéed Shrimp with Garlic and Saffron) during my Spanish Wine and Tapas class, a mix-and-match of five wines and four dishes, to test the rules of wine and food and decide on rules of your own. Conducted at The Chopping Block, 4747 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. For more information and to register, visit thechoppingblock.com/wine-cocktail-classes.
• Mary Ross is an Advanced Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers), a Certified Wine Educator (Society of Wine Educators) and a recipient of Wine Spectator’s “Grand Award of Excellence.” Write to her at food@dailyherald.com.