So, no ‘O’ – Daily numerous tasting bottles await me

Every now and then it’s a real hassle, all this searching and tasting before you find something really nice and special, that fits into the philosophy of our wineshop. The white wine I’ll confide to the paper this time is an Albarín.

No, not an Albariño. Not even close. It’s not the “family of” and it’s not a matter of pronounciation, which can cause quite some confusion.

Albarín (without the O) is a grape variety particular to the region of Castilla de León and this one comes from the village Valdevimbre, around 800 meters above sea level.  Castilla de León is located in the North West of Spain, a region which produces a lot of beautiful wines in both red and white.  Albarín is world famous in that area, but not really anywhere else, and then we can speak in wine jargon about a lost grape variety. Now, usually we forget things for a reason but here it’s totally unjust and I can know as in the past years I’ve gone through quite a few bottles!

The rest of Spain has started to wake up to  the quality of this grape variety and since a few years you’ll find the wine Albarín of Bodegas Pardevalles in all the Top 10’s of Spanish white under the €10. At Vino&Co it has been our best selling white wine for the last three years (not counting our private consumption) and it also has been discovered by the proprietors of the restaurants and beach clubs.

So, about the wine…

The eyes are indulged first with the wine’s light and bright colour: a little hay, a hint of green.  Secondly, the nose is filled with aromas of ripe fruit, banana, pineapple and surprisingly, basil. Once the wine enters your mouth, your palate is tickled by it’s freshness, lots of minerality, a pleasing acidity and at the end a touch of red grapefruit which provides a revitalising little bitter.

A mouth full but still refreshing and thirst-quenching.

Albarín is the perfect match with grilled fish, meat and veggies, dishes with lots of spices and doesn’t get surpassed by Asian dishes with chillis and ginger, usually a wines foe. Hence why it’s a good match with Sid’s wrap.

If you love rosé, Bodegas Pardevalles has launched a fantastic one in the same extraordinary style. Bon profit!