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Albariño and Bacon: A Love Affair (#WorldWineTravel)

 

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The #WorldWineTravel blogging group continues its virtual exploration of Spain this month with a trip to Rías Baixas! Host Linda from My Full Wine Glass invited us to grab a bottle from Galicia and chat. Known as “Green Spain”, this region in northwest Spain is wet and cool and produces some fantastic wines. It’s also got a great double meaning as April is Earth Month!

Linda gave a great primer on the area in her invitation post (which you can read here). And I got my bottle so let’s get to it!

Rías Bai…wait what?

If you’re like me and you learned Spanish in the US, likely you learned North or Central American Spanish. I learned Mexican Spanish which, over the years, has been flavored with El Salvadoran, Colombian, and Peruvian. So that ‘x’ in Galician and in Castilian Spanish totally throws me for a loop. Luckily, a native Spain-Spanish-speaking friend clued me in on how to say it: “ree-yas bye-shas.”

Rías Baixas is a DO (Denominación de Origen) in Galicia, an autonomous province in northwest Spain, with a pretty interesting history. I say ‘history’ but it all happened pretty recently. The first denomination for the region came in 1980 with a denomination not for the region…but for the grape itself! La Denominación Específica Albariño. However, EU law does not recognize denominations for specific grapes only so when Spain joined the EU in 1988, the name was changed to Denominación de Origen Rías Baixas. Now the DO allows 14 different grapes. But Albariño, clocking in at something like 90% of the production, still reigns supreme here.

The DO has five sub-zones:

1. Ribeira do Ulla
2. Val do Salnés (the birthplace of Albariño)
3. Soutomaior
4. Condado do Tea
5. O Rosal

Proximity to the Atlantic Ocean heavily influences “Green Spain.” Rainfall is high, temperatures moderate, and the region gets lots and lots of sunshine. Mists and fogs from the ocean keep the area cool which helps Albariño retain crisp and racy acidity. The DO’s soils, dominated by highly mineral granite and schist, also add the wine’s character contributing that mineral-salinity note we know and love.

Albariño

With all that damp to keep the region green, vines have to be carefully cultivated to prevent rot and mildew. While use of the more common double cordon is on the rise, the traditional training for Albariño is a pergola. Not just any pergola! Called “parra” in Spanish, these are supported by granite posts and built up to seven feet high. This necessitates workers to stand on grape bins to reach the bunches during harvest.

The classic style of Albariño remains stainless steel fermented and aged. However, winemakers experiment more and more with lees and/or oak ageing, spontaneous fermentation, and malolactic fermentation/conversion.

Albariño generally results in wines with high acidity and a streak of “minerality.” An aromatic grape, wines offer up aromas of stone and tropical fruits, citrus, and flowers.

Ribaflavia Albariño, 2017

So. I Googled. And Googled some more. In English. Then in Spanish. And I cannot find any information at all about this winery. Is it a real winery? Is it a fake wine? It would not be the first time I’ve found a dubious-and-probably-fake “imported” wine here in Turkey. But because I couldn’t find any info, I have no story to tell about the winery or the wine-just the straight up review!

Fake or not, at least the wine wasn’t bad. Not at all actually. Did it taste like Albariño? Yes? It’s been so long since I’ve had a proper (i.e. from Spain, not Turkish or Greek) Albariño. I know what it’s “supposed” to taste like and I guess it wasn’t far off but I did miss that bone dry zippiness I remember liking about this grape.

Bright, medium lemon in the glass.  More citrus than anything in the nose with pomelo, kumquat, grapefruit, and grapefruit peel joined by Himalayan rock salt. Medium-bodied with only a medium (maybe medium plus if I’m feel generous) acidity on the palate and 12.5% abv. Some of the citrus carried through to the palate but in broader, less precise tones. An odd hint of butter and tarragon revealed themselves as well.

I’ve been doing a lot of pairings lately with various bacon and pork products. I’m cleaning out my freezer is what’s happening over here. Pork used to be really difficult (if not down right impossible) to get in Turkey so I’d bring it home with me whenever I went to a bacon-friendly country. Now it’s actually quite easy (if expensive) to get so I no longer have to hoard it. So, I’m working on emptying my auxiliary pork and cheese freezer. Yes. I have a special freezer just for pork and cheese (and flaked coconut and other random things I cannot get here).

All that to say, I paired this with a BLT with slow roasted tomatoes and citrus aioli and a favorite summer salad of mixed greens, charred corn, cherry tomatoes, avocado, feta, and bacon dressed with a simple splash of olive oil and lemon juice. The wine worked well with both of them. The BLT tamed down some of the tension in the wine making it rounder and richer while the lemon on the salad really brightened the citrus fruit flavors. Apparently Albariño loves bacon almost as much as I do!

We actually have one producer here in Turkey, Chamlija, making Albariño. He makes three different wines with this grape: a varietal, a reserve, and a blend with the native Narince. They’re very nice wines…but like this rather dodgy wine I found, I’m not ready to swear that they would stand up next to an Albariño from Rías Baixas.

Virtual Rías Baixas Explorations

Don’t forget to check out what the rest of the #WorldWineTravel group discovered about Green Spain! Join us on Twitter Saturday, April 24 at 11am EST as we discuss our wines and pairings. Just follow the #WorldWineTravel hashtag!

• Steve at Children of the Grape shares Troubadours, Love, and Wine.
• Terri at Our Good Life discusses One Grape: Three Unique Experiences with Albarino.
• Andrea at The Quirky Cork writes about Albariño and Bacon: A Love Affair.
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest recommends A Region and Wine You Must Explore: Rias Baixas and Albariño.
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! shares A Tale of Two Rias Baixas Albarinos.
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm talks about My Virtual Trip to Rias Baixas.
• Allison and Chris at ADVineTURES discuss The White Wines of Rias Baixas.
• Nicole from Somm’s Table shares It’s Raining Rias Baixas.
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla pairs Sopa de Cebolla + 2020 Fillaboa Albariño.
• Martin from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog talks about Bodegas Zarate; Setting the Standard for Rias Baixas Albarino – Then and Now.
• David at Cooking Chat pairs Pan Seared Sea Bass with Albariño.
• Jennifer at Vino Travels shares Refresh Your Palate with Rias Baixas Albarino.
• Melanie from Wining with Mel takes a Wine Romp Through Rias Baixas in Galicia, Spain.
• Rupal from Syrah Queen has Your Passport To Rias Baixas – Explore Three Incredible Albarinos.
• Susannah at Avvinare posts Rias Baixas – Green Spain Entices.
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator shares From California’s Camino Real to Galicia’s Camino de Santiago: All Aboard for Albariño 2!
• Liz at What’s In That Bottle? says Pack Your Bags: We’re off to Rias Baixas for an Albariño Adventure.
• Linda, your host, from My Full Wine Glass offers 5 Things that Might Surprise You About Rías Baixas, Home of Albariño.