The inexorable rise of albariño, Galicia’s star grape

If you’ve been watching the temperatures in Spain climb into the high 30Cs in recent weeks, you might assume the whole country is hot and dry, but that’s far from the case in Rias Baixas on the Galician coast. Part of the cool, often rainy area that is known as “green Spain”, the region is also home to the green albariño grape, which you’ll find on almost every self-respecting wine list these days. Pure, mineral and saline, as befits its proximity to the sea, albariño has become so popular, it is now the go-to white to drink with seafood.

Yields are low and demand insatiable, however, so prices are now on the high side. Even supermarket own-label isn’t cheap, unless it’s on promotion. Morrisons The Best Albarino, for example, is currently £12, though that is still less expensive than chablis, admittedly (if you haven’t come across albariño before and want to place it, that might be a useful comparison).

Cheaper albariños tend to taste fruitier, and more like a sauvignon blanc, which you might as well buy if that’s the style you’re looking for. That said, the Castro Martin in today’s pick below is delicious. Albariño is usually sold young and unoaked, but it does age impressively, something white wine-producing regions are keen to stress to persuade us to invest in their top cuvées. But, with a few exceptions, I prefer it in its first two or three years, especially if I’m drinking it with shellfish.

There are a number of sub-regions, of which the most important are Val do Salnés, O Rosal and Condado do Tea. Each has its own distinct characteristics, but, to be honest, unless you’re a real albariño geek, it’s more useful to focus on the producer. I particularly like the ones from Pazo Señorans, which also makes the Wine Society’s more reasonably priced own-label Exhibition Albariño (£14.95, 13%), and Terras Gauda, which makes the brilliant, caino-based blend in this week’s pick.

Albariño is also being planted elsewhere: the enterprising Languedoc producer Laurent Miquel makes a good one, for instance, while it has also become the signature white wine of Uruguay, though you won’t find it any cheaper there than in Rias Baixas (Bodega Bouza makes a delicious one you can get for £26.95 at Jeroboams). There are also a growing number of plantings in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, though those I’ve tasted so far lack the seductive salinity of the ones from Rias Baixas.

Five albariños to sip with seafood

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Albariño 2021 £10.50, 12%. Properly crisp and dry, this Rias Baixas wine is the best of the own-label versions I tried, maybe because of the extra time in bottle.

Laurent Miquel Lagrasse Albariño 2022 £11.50 Sainsbury’s, £11.99 Waitrose Cellar, 12.5%. Bright, zesty and citrussy. More robust than top Rias Baixas albariños, so think dishes with coriander, lime and chilli.

A20 Albariño 2020 £79.74 (£13.29 a bottle) a case of six allaboutwine.com, 13%. An untypical, but delicious, exotic, almost tropical-fruited style. Papaya with a touch of peach.

Terras Gauda La Mar 2021 £24 gourmethunters.com, £29.30 Les Caves de Pyrène, 12.5%. Albariño is here a sidekick to the more unusual caino. Intensely sharp and saline, and a thrillingly pure wine to drink with shellfish.

Mar de Frades Brut £28.75 (or £25.88 if you buy any 12 bottles) Wine Republic, £29.50 (or £26.55 if you buy any 12) Great Wine Co, 12%. A rare sparkling albariño – light, creamy, with a touch of white peach. A good option if you find champagne too toasty. For extra entertainment value, when it’s chilled to the right temperature, a ship in full sail magically appears on the bottle.

• For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com