Albarino

Sample post from Beyond Shiraz book

Albarino

Synonyms: Alvarinho in Portugal.

White, Origin: NE Portugal or perhaps in adjacent Galicia, Spain, Rank 106, Australian Producers 44.

Aromas and Flavours: Albarino wines are delicately flavoured. They exhibit flavours of peaches, apricots, apples, lemon and grapefruit.

Albarino makes fresh crisp whites in Northern Portugal and in the adjacent Spanish region of Galicia, especially in the Rias Baixas DO. In both of these regions it is used to make varietal wines, but in Portugal, it is also commonly blended with other varieties, most notably Loureiro, to make Vinho Verde.

From the turn of the twenty-first century, Albarino has become fashionable in other wine regions, e.g., in California, Oregon and Washington State, and in New Zealand. At this time an attempt was made to introduce Albarino into Australia. A significant number of wineries planted vines from a supposedly reputable source in the belief they were Albarino. However, in 2009, doubts about the true identity of these vines were confirmed—the variety was actually Savagnin. Many growers persisted with Savagnin as they had already proved it makes excellent wine.

Shortly after this varietal mix up was discovered, many wineries began planting ‘true’ Albarino. Although its origin is in the cooler parts of the Iberian Peninsula the variety has proved to be successful in warmer areas such as the Barossa and Rutherglen.

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