Published: September 19, 2009 04:43 pm         

GRAPE SENSE: It’s time to try something different

CRAWFORDSVILLE — Summer is the time for white wine and lighter flavors.

If you have spent your summer sipping Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and perhaps Riesling, then it’s time to try something different. Spanish and Portuguese Albarino is a varietal you aren’t going to find in any supermarket but should find at any good wine shop. Most Indiana shops will have one or two; many will have several.

Albarino has become a new personal favorite. It is a ripe-fruit flavored wine with a clean taste, very crisp and refreshing. It is a dry white wine with moderate to high alcohol levels. Some Albarino will have more acidity or citrus flavors than others, but I’ve yet to have a bad one.

Spain grows a significant amount of the world’s Albarino in the Rias Baixas region, the northwest coastal corner of the country just north of Portugal. It is also found across the border in the Vinho Verde region of Portugal. For many years, the grape was used to create blends with other lesser-known white grapes but has emerged more recently as a white wine that pairs nicely with seafood and is great served cold on a hot day.

The wine has a big, beautiful nose for a white. If you pick up a bottle, you’ll read that it will have hints of peach, apricot or floral characteristics. There are a few Albarinos aged in oak, but the vast majority are aged in stainless steel, producing the clean and crisp characteristics.

The wine, like most grapes, is grown in other places around the world. But I’ve found if you start your experimentation with a new grape at its origin, you’re going to appreciate the variations of it even more when you drink one from Australia or California.

The climates in Spain and Portugal, where Albarino is grown, are cooler areas of those countries, allowing these finicky, thick-skinned grapes to mature. Albarino put Spain’s white wines on the world map.

Try Albarino with seafood off the grill, particularly white fish and shrimp. Asian foods would be another perfect pairing. Or, chill the wine a bit more than normal and take it outside to enjoy on a warm evening.

Albarino is a very affordable experiment. You can find value bottles in the $9-$12 range in wine shops.

Howard’s Picks:

n Salneval Albarino – 2007 Albarino from Spain has a seductive nose that makes it hard to put down. You’ll pick up some minerality and floral notes. This wine consistently scores well with national wine critics. ($9-$13)

n Burgan Albarino – Also a 2007 selection, the Burgan Spanish Albarino is a bit more fruit forward than the Salneval. I thought it had a lemon flavor with perhaps an unusual hint of orange. It also had a bit of a creamy texture to it. Wine critics tend to really like this one. It’s going to be less acidic than the Salneval. ($12)

Both wines were purchased in Indiana wine shops.



Howard W. Hewitt of Crawfordsville is a wine enthusiast. Read more about what he is drinking and wine recommendations at www.redforme.blogspot.com.

     

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