Winemaker Notes
Pale yellow with greenish highlights. Mineral aromas at the start, joined halfway by white flowers, mango, melon and grapefruit. Fresh, citrus sensation in mouth at first, becoming more voluminous midway and with a long and refreshing finish dominated by white flowers and melon.
Ideal for Japanese and Thai dishes such as tempura and pan-fried vegetables. Also for dishes featuring white meat, fish, seafood, rice dishes, pasta and appetizers.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Perfumed, almost tropical nose with a floral lift to the mangoes and seashell minerality. Quite saline on the medium-bodied palate, showing fine lees and some simple citrus and pineapple notes. Easy but delicious. From organically grown grapes.
Bright and aromatic with distinctive floral and fruity characteristics, Albariño has enjoyed a surge in popularity and an increase in plantings over the last couple of decades. Thick skins allow it to withstand the humid conditions of its homeland, Rías Baixas, Spain, free of malady, and produce a weighty but fresh white. Somm Secret—Albariño claims dual citizenship in Spain and Portugal. Under the name Alvarinho, it thrives in Portugal’s northwestern Vinho Verde region, which predictably, borders part of Spain’s Rías Baixas.
A wine region in Catalonia on the northeastern coast of Spain, Costers del Segre obtained DO status in 1986. Since then, the region has experienced many changes, including the addition of new international grape varieties alongside traditional native varieties, the adoption of modern California winemaking methods and the creation of sub-regions.
Both cooperative and private bodegas have incorporated these changes leading to a series of wines with great personal character and uniqueness. Some of them are considered among the most unusual in Spain, their styles based on thoughtful blending of local grapes with recently planted French varieties. And thanks to the climate and soil conditions, there is also plenty of potential for future development.
The principal white grape varieties of the region are Macabeo, Parellada, Xarel-lo, Chardonnay, Garnacha Blanca, Albariño, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. The principal red grape varieties include Garnacha Tinta, Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo), Monastrell, Trepat, Samsó, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Syrah.