Albariño beyond Iberia: panel tasting results

Sarah Jane Evans MW, Roger Jones and Dirceu Vianna Junior MW tasted 78 wines with 3 Outstanding and 33 Highly recommended.

Albariño beyond Iberia: panel tasting scores

78 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 3

Highly recommended 33

Recommended 41

Commended 1

Fair 0

Poor 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their Albariño wines – single varietal or blended with a minimum of 75% Albariño/Alvarinho – in any style, vintage or price level, from any region and country other than Spain and Portugal

Albariño is the star white variety of Galicia, and specifically of Rías Baixas. Other producers in Spain may make it, in Mediterranean and central regions, but nowhere does it do better than on the granite soils and in the maritime climate not far from the pilgrim city of Santiago de Compostela.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the Albariño beyond Iberia panel tasting

Pilgrims are important to Albariño’s story – just as they are with so many varieties. Possibly Albariño came from the pilgrims journeying north through Portugal. Or possibly it went back south with them. Whichever it was, I have – as an Albariño lover – to confess that northern Portugal’s Alvarinho, especially in the Monção e Melgaço region, is a delight. (In the comparative panel tasting in Decanter’s September 2021 issue, the Spanish and Portuguese versions came neck and neck.) What is clear is that the variety originated in the northwest Iberian peninsula.

It’s not in the least surprising that Albariño should have escaped from its Atlantic niche to become so popular internationally. It’s appealingly aromatic: floral with acacia, honeysuckle and jasmine. The palate reveals citrus, white peach and apple fruits. Drunk young, it’s the very essence of a summer wine – and perfect with shellfish.

Many producers in Rías Baixas are using lees ageing successfully to develop creamy, broader textures in the mouth. The best also age on the lees for two, three or more years. These wines develop a remarkable complexity, moving towards a Burgundian feel and proving that Albariño does not have to be drunk young. There are oak-aged Albariño, too, some with remarkable subtlety and success. There are also a few sparkling versions. Albariño can be blended with other varieties, but it is more than capable of standing alone.

Global interest

The wine world is in constant search for white varieties beyond Chardonnay, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. Italy is a successful hunting ground and, in recent times, Assyrtiko has been snapped up from Greek vineyards by growers in Australia and South Africa looking for its zippy freshness. Albariño was also an early popular choice. However, its first invasion in Australia was brought to a sudden halt when it was discovered that those early ‘Albariño’ plantings were actually the French Savagnin, an error caused by the original Spanish source and then repeated.

The enthusiasm for trialling Albariño began in the first decade of this century, so in many areas vineyards are now well established. Producers with Atlantic coasts, mirroring Rías Baixas, have been tempted by the variety: Uruguay and South Africa particularly. New Zealand has also invested in Albariño, given its maritime climate, and California joined the search for a ‘new’ aromatic white.

In Europe, Albariño has been planted in southern France, and is now on the new permitted list in Bordeaux. The thought there is that it’s a variety that retains its aromatics even in a changing climate. In the UK, climate change is making it a variety of interest to English wine producers, too. Further afield, there are sightings of Albariños in Japan and Mexico.

Many of these global plantings are too young yet to show their individual character. So for the moment, lovers of Albariño/Alvarinho will continue to measure international newcomers up against the Iberian original. But, in 10 or 20 years’ time, it’s likely we will be able to identify these different origins much more clearly. An exciting prospect.

Spain and Portugal have set a high bar for this on-trend aromatic white style, but good scores here show how the rest of the world is inspired to meet the varietal challenge.

How did the wines fare?

This was a fascinating tasting in which the object was to answer this question: is it possible to grow a grape variety so closely identified with the northwestern corner of Iberia and plant it elsewhere, to make wines that are typical, but also convincingly different?

Ours was a diplomatically balanced panel. Dirceu Vianna Junior MW, Brazilian by birth, was recruited to speak up for South America – notably Uruguay. Chef Roger Jones is a noted lover of and expert on South African, Australian and New Zealand wines. My role was to defend the image of Iberian Albariño against the growing global competition.

We had samples from nine countries, and – incredibly – no fewer than 34 from across the USA from east to west, via the Texas High Plains and including a pét-nat from Maryland. An excellent showing from across the pond.

Our three top wines were geographically very evenly distributed. Uruguay underlined its growing reputation for the variety, producing the highest-scoring wine of the day as well as four Highly Recommendeds. ‘Vivid and saline, showing Albariño at its very best,’ remarked Jones on these South American stars.

Only one of the 14 New Zealand entries came from Nelson, but the fact that it triumphed over the others indicates the importance of Nelson for aromatic varieties. Six others scored 90 points or more. That the South African Outstanding wine was from the Hemel-en-Aarde was not a surprise, given the similarities of the south Atlantic to Galicia. Jones commented that given Albariño’s evident liking for these cool, coastal regions, Australia’s island of Tasmania could well prove to be a reliable origin of the future.

See all 78 wines from the Albariño beyond Iberia panel tasting

Notably, two California wineries with Spanish expertise each earned a credible 91pts for their Albariños: the first from Marimar Torres (sister of Miguel A Torres), and the second from Artesa, an outpost of the Raventós Codorníu group.

There was a strong cluster of wines scoring 88 and 89pts – tasty, well-made whites but without a distinctive character. Would we know they were Albariño if we hadn’t been told? While Albariño can give lovely fruit, we were looking to reward the complexity

of the best. Undoubtedly, many wines submitted for this tasting were from young vines that have yet to develop their full character, so while they might not have scored so highly now, it bodes well for the future. ‘Many of these wines were not Albariño as I know it,’ said Jones. ‘In my view, of all the wines we tasted, South Africa was the closest to the fresh style of Rías Baixas.’

‘I was really excited about the idea of this tasting,’ said Vianna during our concluding discussion. While he felt it hadn’t quite lived up to his expectations, he was positive about the direction of progress. ‘Albariño is going to be a trend internationally. In 10 years’ time we will be back to repeat this tasting and we will see real improvement.’

Albariño: Where in the world?

Of the 78 wines in this tasting, there were three sparkling and one pét-nat; only two overall were not 100% Albariño.

USA 34

New Zealand 14

Uruguay 12

Australia 6

South Africa 6

France 4

Canada 1

England 1

Albariño beyond Iberia panel tasting scores

The judges

Sarah Jane Evans MW is an awarded journalist, author and broadcaster, a DWWA Co-Chair, and the chair of Spain’s Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino. Her new book The Wines of Central and Southern Spain is set for release in early 2024.

Roger Jones is the retired former owner of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn restaurant in Wiltshire. He is now a wine writer, judge and consultant with a particular interest in the hospitality trade, as well as helping charities. He is a DWWA judge, with a focus on New World regions.

Dirceu Vianna Junior MW is a wine writer, consultant and educator. Moving to the UK from Brazil in 1989, he was a director at some of the UK’s top distributors, becoming a Master of Wine in 2008, then co-authoring the awarded Portuguese- language book Conheça Vinhos (‘Understanding Wine’, Editora Senac).

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