In the north of Spain, where seafood rules the day, the drink of choice is a crisp, light white wine made from the Albarino grape. It is also known as Alvarinho in Portugal, where it is equally popular. It grows in the northwest end of the peninsula, along the Minho river, which forms the border between Spain and Portugal. There's not much difference between the two sides save for language, and yet the wines produced taste remarkably different.
Ten years ago, it would have been a challenge to find an Albarino on the shelf of your local store. Now, Albarino is everywhere. Somewhere along the way, Spanish cuisine became cool and high-end restaurants began offering more than the usual Rioja.
Today's Albarino wines aren't like the oxidized or nutty white wines more commonly associated with Spain. They are clean, bright, fermented in cold stainless steel to retain every whit of their freshness, and drunk soon after bottling. A glass of Albarino before dinner is a great beginning; its lemony flavors seem designed to match with seafood. In addition to Albarino's bright crispness, there's also a rich, almost oily texture, which gives it the weight of a rich Chardonnay without the heavy flavors.
The best news is that this mouth-filling white wine runs only about $10, maybe $20 for the very best, in retail stores. Fresh, bright, and very dry, with a citrus note and a full, ripe pear-like fruit, Albarino goes with far more than Spanish food.
The highest quality Albarino comes from Rias Biaxas in Pontavedra, Spain. Some producers blend small amounts of other local grapes in (Treixadura and Loureiro most notably), but most are made entirely from Albarino and say so proudly on their label. Albarino is Spain's most popular white wine in the United States, but it's not the most planted grape. That award goes to Airen—and although you'll never see Airen on a wine label, it's responsible for the sea of simple white wine drunk in Spanish cafes.
Cross the Minho River from Spain into Portugal and the vines produce a lighter, crisper, and sharper wine, sometimes a little spritzy on first taste. The local wine is so light here that it's a pale, almost green color—fitting for a wine that's called Vinho Verde, or "green wine." The name doesn't come from the color, though (there's a red version, too), but from the youth of the wine when it's drunk, typically within the year the grapes were picked. Most Vinho Verde are a blend of local grapes like Alvarinho, Trajadura, and Loureiro, and won't list any grapes on the label. Many of the best, however, are made from Alvarinho.
Most Vinho Verde are very light, bright, crisp wines that run $6 to $10 and are perfect for summer sipping. If you want a wine with a little more substance, be ready to pay a little more for one labeled Alvarinho. A few of these can benefit from a few years of aging, and will reach $20 or more.
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