Looking for a new winter white wine? Try Albariño

With white wine consumption in the U.S. topping red for the first time in 30 years, you may be experimenting with white wines, or be looking to switch from America’s top-selling varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. If so, give Albariño (ahl-barr-REEN-yo) a try. You wouldn’t have had the option a few years ago.

Once limited to an off-the-beaten path region, the grape’s alluring flavors and food compatibility have encouraged international winemakers to produce Albariño. Occasionally, their efforts pay off.

Albariño’s homeland is Spain’s small northeast region Galicia and smaller sub-region, Rias Baixas. The “rias” are inlets, carrying the Atlantic Ocean’s cold mists and mineral-rich water inland to meet local rivers, creating a lush landscape of pastures and forests called Green Spain. (Uniquely, more than 50% of the winemakers are women, stemming from days when men plied the seas, leaving women to manage the farms.) The grape responds to the cool damp by developing thick skin to ward off mildew and by maintaining the fresh flavor and bracing acidity of just ripe fruit. The resulting wine offers stone fruit and white flower aroma, and texturous palate with firm acid and mineral accents.

Small family-owned properties and plots averaging just two acres reflect the region. Tradition guides production. Grapes are hand-picked with a yield of three to five tons per acre, as low as Napa Valley. After gentle pressing, winemakers stand back and allow indigenous yeasts to spontaneously ferment juice into wine. The new wine is often left in contact with the lees (spent yeast cells), to enhance texture and flavor complexity.

The rias also provide a wealth of seafood, with local dishes including Pulpo a la Gallega (Galician-style octopus), Mariscada (soup of prawns, crab and mussels), and Vieras en su Concha (scallops baked in their shells) all served with Albariño. For Chicago flavor, I’d add fried smelts and seafood tacos to the menu.

As a wine traditionalist (you may say “snob”), my Albariño preference once lay exclusively with Rias Baixas producers such as Bodegas Lagar de Besada (about $21 at boutique shops, distributed by Candid Wines, Chicago), highlighted in my September 2025 column, “Two for your wine life list.” Recently, the following Albariño’s have entered our market and deserve a try:

Albariño, Meu, 2023 (Ribeiro, Spain): Grown close to Rias Baixas in Ribeiro, the wine sports flavors of stone fruit with firm acid and the slight grip of fruit skin. While lacking Albariño’s silky texture, it’s a delicious aperitif and food complement. (Distributed by Acorvina & Company, Chicago. Available exclusively at In Fine Spirits, Chicago, about $18.)

For an American-made Albariño that both reflects the grape’s classic style and adds New World richness, I recommend:

Albariño “Sea Queen,” Cadre (San Luis Obispo, California): Long, silky and rich, the entry pulls you through middle flavors of ripe peach, grapefruit and ginger into a firm, vivacious finish. It was darn good with salmon sautéed in a ginger-soy glaze, but with a splash of lime juice echoing the wine’s lime-like acidity the pairing achieved my Made for Each Other status. In fact, the wine seemed to instinctively adapt to a wide range of dishes, including stuffed mushrooms and beef stew. (Distributed by High Road Wines, Chicago. Ask for it at boutique wine shops, suggested retail price $30.)

Cadre proprietor and second-generation winegrower John Niven has championed Albariño in California for 25 years. He recognized in his family’s vineyards — located just five miles from the Pacific — the mist-laden winds and mineral-rich soils as similar to Rias Baixas. He had to convince his family to invest in a nobody grape, especially because Grandfather Jack had pioneered the region’s Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in his acclaimed Paragon Vineyard. Eventually Niven received go-ahead to acquire cuttings from Rias Baixas and develop the most ambitious Albariño project outside the Iberian Peninsula. Judging by consistently 90+ reviews, as well as this palate’s impressions, his efforts are paying off.

• 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.