With lovely warm sunny days, white wine demands soar, why not try one of Spain´s best white wines made from Albariño grapes and offers a great alternative to Riesling or Chablis when pairing with fish and seafood!
Rías Baixas is a small wine growing region located in Galicia, in north-west Spain known for its citrus and salty white wines. Located very close to Northern Portugal, Rías Baixas shares many characteristics with Vinho Verde over the border, and likewise, both share a long and strong history of grape growing using many of the same grape varieties. Established officially as a D.O. (Denominacíon de Origen) in 1988, the total vineyard area covers just over 4000 ha. By comparison, Chablis has 5,800 ha. of planted vineyards.
It´s cool maritime climate with high rainfall is quite an unusual climate for grape growing and is strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, and moderate temperatures keeps the area lush and green. The average rainfall is 1,600 mm – almost three times the national average for the whole of Spain. Or to put it another way, it rains more in Rías Baixas than it does in Kristiansand!
The high rainfall can be problematic for grape growing as it can induce rot, however clever viticultural techniques and the indigenous grapes of the region have learned to cope with these challenges. Whilst in warmer climates winemakers have to work to retain acidity in grapes, in Rías Baixas, the main challenge is to ripen the fruit sufficiently to balance the naturally high acidity. Long periods of sunshine near harvest time, keeping vineyard yields low, and focusing on ripeness is essential to achieve the correct balance in the grapes here.
Known for indigenous varieties, the white wine grape variety grape Albariño is by far the leading flagship of the Rias Baixas representing more than 96% of the total plantings. Whilst its possible to grow red grapes, these represent only 0.8% of the total grape production.
In this cool maritime climate with westerly winds and rain, Albariño is well suited to this quite damp and wet climate. Its thick skins give more resistant to rot, and the grape clusters are quite loose which means that the air can flow through between the grapes and dry them off after a heavy rain shower. Planted on traditional Pergola style trellissing systems, the grapes are lifted above and away from the damp soils, and enjoy extra sunshine and drying winds which allows the grapes to fully ripen. Some of the best vineyard sites for example in Val do Salnés are known for their granitic and sandy soils which provide good drainage as well as extra warmth for the vines.
Val do Salnés
Val do Salnés is the oldest and most established growing region and takes its name from the many salt pans (Salinas) that were especially valuable in the middle-ages. It´s also the largest sub-region in terms of production with more than 64% of the total production of Rías Baixas.
The climate here is particularly damp, with frequent fog. Tiny vineyards perched on low-lying hills and draped with Pergola style (Parra) vines stretch down towards the coast.
In Val do Salnés, Albariño is traditionally grown using the pergola system and here almost 95% of the vines are still grown in this way, trained upwards onto a wire trellis two metres above the ground, with the bunches of grapes hanging down below. This method is also commonly found in the Condado do Tea sub-region. Although this method is very-labour intensive, it is the best method suited to the local climate. In new areas and other regions Albariño is grown using the more common vine training method Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP).
The Pergola system is important as it allows more aeration of the vines, reduces the risk of humidity problems (fungal rot) and allows more sunshine to access the grapes in this particularly rainy area. The complex granitic, sand, quartz and shist soils allow free drainage of the soils after frequent rain showers, and this combined with the close proximity to the sea gives these wines intense lemon acidity, minerality and salinity.
In Val do Salnés, the unique Atlantic climate and mineral rich granite soils give freshness and elegance to Albariño
Bodegas Granbazán established in the 1980s is one of the founding members of the Rías Baixas DO. In 2017, the property was bought by Prof. Pedro Martinez Hernadez, who has continued to develop the property and vineyards and continued the success of Bodegas Granbazán which quickly became one of the leading producers in the region. The beautiful neo-classical style winery and manor house which also houses a visitors centre, is set in the middle of the 13.5 ha Finca Tremoedo, only one kilometre from the sea.
Read more about Bodegas Granbazan
Bestillingsutvalget
Druer:Pale lemon with gold streaks. Aromatic, white flowers, white peach, hints of grapefruit pith, salty. Racy lemon-driven and juicy acidity, slight chalky texture and persistent salty finish.12,5% abv.
Winemaking: cold maceration (skin contact) for 8 hours, indigenous yeast ferment in stainless steel tanks, 4 months ageing on lees prior to bottling.
Vurdering:
bestillingsutvalget
Druer:Bright pale gold. Aromatic, with intense orange blossom, grapefruit and salty aromas. On the palate, zingy high acidity, 13.5% abv, firm salty and mineral backbone balanced by a creamy texture from lees stirring and a long lemony finish.
Winemaking: From vineyards less than 2 km from the sea with mainly granitic soils. cold-maceration (skin contact) for 8 hours, indigenous yeast ferment in stainless steel tanks, 8 months ageing on lees prior to bottling.
Vurdering:
bestillingsutvalget
Druer:Medium gold colour, aromatic with honey, ripe apricots, red apple skin and salty freshness. On the palate mineral driven with crisp lemony acidity, 13% abv., very structured with salty stoney notes, honey and apricots, real depth and concentration and a long briney finish. Craves food.
Winemaking: Single vineyard selection using top-quality grapes and less than 1 km from the sea. Cold maceration (skin contact) 8 hours, indigenous yeast fermentation in stainless steel followed by 36 months aging on lees to develop creamy pastry-like texture.
Vurdering:Bli med på nybegynnerkurs i vinsmaking! Vi arrangerer heldagsundervisning i klasserom på utvalgte lørdager for deg uten formell kunnskap om vin. WSET Level 1 in Wine er et internasjonalt godkjent vinkurs
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