An Albarino Quintet from Rias Baixas, Galicia

Albarino from Rias Baixas has skyrocketed in popularity over the past decade, and is now Spain's white wine variety that is most familiar to wine drinkers. Often described as the perfect pairing for seafood, we are going to try a few different styles to see if it's that and more.

So buckle up - there will be expressions of albarino that you've never tasted before - including orange (present as always!) and sweet!

Dinner will be at one of the group's regular dining venues, ABA Turkish, near Columbus Circle. They have a nice assortment of reasonably priced chicken, lamb, and even fish dishes. That lamb shank is calling my name.

Here is the link to their menu.

Just a reminder of our usual rules:

** The cost of this event is $33 and is for the cost of the wines and corkage fees.

You will also have to pay the cost of your food (plus 30% for tax and tip). Please order at least two courses (i.e. a main dish and either appetizer or dessert). There are very few restaurants that allow us to bring our own wine for a low corkage fee.

Cancellation policy - If you take spot, then cancel, and no one else takes the spot, you will not receive a refund or credit. No refunds or credits will be given for no-shows or late cancellations (unless someone else takes your spot). All cancellations are subject to a $10 service fee.

Please use public transportation - NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!

The Wines

The first two wines are from the same producer and vintage, and will be tasted side by side. How similar or different are they?

# Bodegas Zarate Albarino 2023

The wine is a blend of six of the estate’s youngest parcels, planted between 1992 and 2001, for an average vine age of 25–30 years. Part of the wine (one-third in 2023) undergoes malolactic conversion, giving a bit more breadth and padding to the body; the rest of it has malolactic conversion blocked so as to retain tart, crisp malic acid. The wine then rests on its fine lees, undisturbed, for six months – creating a very light yeastiness to compliment the characteristic saltiness. An average 3,700 cases are produced per year.

"Pale lemon in colour. Ripe peaches, apricots, fresh-cut yellow apple and powdery white-floral character on the nose with a whiff of bitter skinsiness – like white-grapefruit pith. Tart lemony acidity skitters across the palate before yielding to a broadening textural weight, grapefruit pith and a tarragon herbal note. Finishes salty with a leesy kiss of yeast. For me, exactly what a well-made Albariño is supposed to taste like. "(Jancis Robinson)

# Bodegas Zarate Albarino 'El Palomar' 2023

The wine comes from a single, 0.36-ha (0.89-acre) parcel of vines aged more than 100 years grown on very poor soils on granite bedrock. The result is stunning concentration and fullness. The wine undergoes full malolactic conversion, softening the crisp, tart acidity and yielding a round, creamy texture and lactic, yogurty aromas. It then rests on its gross lees for six months before being racked and returned to sit on its fine lees for a further three months. 200 cases are produced per year.

"Medium lemon with a tinge of gold. Deeply savoury and lactic with a smear of salted cultured butter, cedar spice, white button mushroom and dried yellow apple on the nose. Full and concentrated on the palate with elevated acidity that's broad and soft rather than tart. Layers of dried leaves, cedar, pickled and salted peach preserve and nutritional yeast on the lengthy finish. I wouldn't have placed this as Rías Baixas Albariño – I think I would have been debating between the flavour profiles of a spicy northern Rhône Marsanne and a Chablis with an abundance of soft lactic acidity. This is, for me, an entirely new experience of Albariño." (Jancis Robinson)

# DO Ferreiro Albarino 2016

The reviews below, while glowing, were written back in 2018! And the two critics disagreed on the drinking window lol. Let's see how the wine has developed in the bottle after all this time.

"Brilliant, green-hued straw. Bright and incisive on the highly perfumed nose displaying an array of fresh citrus and orchard fruit scents that are complemented by suggestions of chalky minerals, quinine and sea salt. Dry, taut and precise on the palate, offering bitter lemon pith and pear skin flavors that unfold slowly while maintaining urgency. Finishes with impressive clarity and mineral drive, leaving juicy Meyer lemon and quince notes behind." (Vinous)

"What a penetrating wine! The freshness is at its peak providing a lively profile. The wine is full of energy showing a vertical cutting edge and a bitter finish accompanied by a voluminous texture. This is a magnificent wine showing kerosene, sweet lemon, spice, yellow plums and pears. I love the firm richness it has." (Jancis Robinson)

# Skin Contact - Bodegas Attis 'Sitta Maceracion' 2024

One of two skin contact wines produced by Attis, this is the one "for beginners". (Trust me, you will run for the hills when you taste the funky one). In addition to making orange wine, Attis pushes the envelope with projects including their albarino submerged under the ocean for 6 months, plus their single variety bottlings of obscure Galician red varieties like pedral, caino tinto, brancellao, souson, etc. Never heard of these? Don't worry - some of them will be featured in another event soon.

Fun fact - the name "Sitta" is their way of indicating this wine is not recognized by the regulatory body, because the appellation does not allow for orange wines!!

# Sweet - Bodegas Attis 'Sitta Dulce Nana' 2022

A rare sweet wine made from albarino - it is not heavy, not cloying, only 13% alcohol. Only 1100 bottles made. I will order some desserts for the group to accompany this one.

"Our natural sweet white wine “Passito” style elaborated with white grapes dried after the harvest. The best expression of the work and dedication behind our authentic and artisanal wines. Dulce Nana winemaking implies a careful cluster’s drying process rigorously selected for this. As a result of this raising process, we obtain high concentration of sugars offering a sweet, dense, and intense natural sweet white wine. Persistent and unctuous without abandoning its varietal character. It will be your ally as an aperitif, with blue or cured cheeses and foie and, of course, with your favourite desserts." (Producer Notes)