Albariño
Galicia's Atlantic white. Citrusy, zippy and saline, with an acidity that cuts like the air off the ría.
Albariño is the white grape of Rías Baixas, in Atlantic Galicia, and since the DO was recognised in 1988 it has become Spain’s most famous white abroad. It makes up around 95% of what’s planted in the denomination, and that’s no accident: few grapes translate their home this faithfully. It tastes of the sea, of rain and of citrus peel, with a zippy acidity that keeps it permanently wide awake.
The historic heart is Val do Salnés, the coolest, most saline subzone, hard against the Atlantic. That’s where the most electric, mineral Albariños come from, though each subzone (O Rosal, Condado do Tea) lends its own accent. It’s the aperitif white par excellence, the one you open the moment you sit down, and the textbook partner for shellfish. Across the border in Portugal, the same grape is called Alvarinho.