Winemaker Notes
Luis's D.O. Ribeiro is an ancient vineyard area located 45 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Portugal, in Galicia. 'Escolma’'means "selection" in Gallego. Escolma is made from Luis's oldest vines and is only produced in certain vintages. Ribeiro's climate is Atlantic with continental influences, with less rainfall than the coast, and fairly dry, warm, and sunny summers. Grapes tend to ripen well every year while maintaining excellent acidity.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Since 1988, viticulturist Luis “Anxo” Rodríguez has been farming native varieties in the hills of Arnoia, in Ribeiro. For decades, high-yielding vines dominated this area, while the local varieties were slowly disappearing. Rodríguez’s work has focused on recovering those local varieties for his wines. He blends Escolma from a selection of parcels planted to treixadura, torrontés, albariño and lado. His most ambitious white, it’s creamy and inviting, yet layered with flavors that are difficult to describe. It’s hard to keep up with the flavors as they change every minute in the glass—first nutty, then floral, fruity and finally profoundly earthy. A wine that could hold your attention for hours.
White grapes are used in two famous types of Spanish wine, Sherry and Cava, but we will limit this discussion to still whites. Let’s begin with perhaps the best known and most highly regarded internationally, Albariño . Produced in the region of Rías Baixas, just above Portugal in northwestern Spain, Albariño typically sees no or little oak and is medium to medium-plus in body. Aroma and flavor notes often include citrus and peach, often with subtle floral notes and a suggestion of sea spray, giving the wine a zesty feel. Often bottled as a single varietal, Albariño is sometimes blended with other indigenous grapes like Loureira and Treixadura. Try one of these Spanish whites from Forjas del Salnes.
Let’s look at a few other Spanish white wines. Godello also hails from northwestern Spain and presents a profile of grapefruit, minerality and a slight smoky quality. Enjoy a bottle from Bodegas Avancia. The region of Rueda, northwest of Madrid, is home to Verdejo , which makes refreshing, un-oaked white wines whose herbal vibrancy recalls Sauvignon Blanc . Protos makes a tasty version. Up north in the Basque region, we find the wine called Txakoli (sometimes called Txakolina). Pronounced “sha-ko-LEE,” it’s made from a local grape called Hondurrabi Zuri and is light, fresh, citrusy, dry … and with razor sharp acidity that makes it a fantastic partner with local seafood and tapas. Ameztoi Gertariako is a good Spanish white wine producer to check out.
The Penedѐs region, best known for the oceans of delicious Cava it sends to the world, also produces still Spanish whites, sometimes from international varieties like Chardonnay , and often from the same grapes used for Cava. These include Parellada, Xarel-lo and Macabeo. Avaline produces a fine example of Penedes white. Finally, we visit the Rioja region. While it is historically and internationally famous for its reds, Rioja also produces fine Spanish white wines. These are usually based on Viura (the local name for Macabeo) and make good everyday sippers, although some aged versions can be stunningly complex. A good place to start is the white Rioja from Bodegas Muga.
As you can see, Spanish white wines offer a vast opportunity for exploration!