Winemaker Notes
This wine has a freshness and acidity that make it a great match with shellfish, deep sea fish, and chicken dishes prepared with Spanish, Latin and Pan-Asian spices. This wine's easy drinking nature also makes it a natural for casual tapas, small plates and sipping on its own.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One step up in complexity and depth, the white 2015 Alanda, an unoaked blend of about 50% Dona Blanca and the rest Treixadura and Verdello, with just a touch of Monstruosa, is a cofermentation of all the grapes, always with indigenous yeasts, without malolactic and kept with the lees without bâtonnage. A common theme in the whites here is lack of fruit, austerity and strong minerality. They are quite recognizable and, unlike any other wines from Monterrei, reminiscent of a Ribeiro: subtle, elegant and especially mineral. 8,000 bottles were filled in May 2016.
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Wine & Spirits
Alanda is José Luis Mateo’s interpretation of Monterrei’s terroir through the local white grapes—equal parts godello, treixadura and dona blanca, with ten percent monstrousa in the blend. One taster described it as “fresh rainwater,” an evocative description for a wine that is all subtleties, like a haiku. It’s light with herbal notes, while at the same time the structure is tight and firm. The flavors last, deliciously spicy, with soft touches of jasmine.
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!