LITTLE ROCK — If you think of Spanish wines as only big, heavy, full-bodied reds, ready your palate for a new wave of fresh, white offerings. Not only is Spain emerging as a leader in quality whites, but its winemakers are doing so with unique indigenous grape varieties. This is a plus for consumers, considering that most emerging wine countries continue with the traditional international stars such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot and chardonnay.
The Albarino grape is stealing the limelight in white wine fame. It is produced and grown in the northwest corner of Spain in the Rias Baixas region. The climate in most of Spain can best be described as hot, hotter and unbearable. The Rias Baixas area, however, offers much cooler temperatures. It is the coolness and abundance of rainfall that give the Albarino its delicate, lively, aromatic characteristics.
This grape has for centuries had a following in the local Spanish market, understandably, because it pairs perfectly with the local cuisine. It also goes with seafood because of its ideal balance of acidity and light-bodied texture.
Since its release to the rest of the world, it is emerging with cult status in limited quantities. Even the best producers make only a few hundred cases of wine a year. But in the last few years, with more international demand, the wines are gradually showing up on retail shelves and fine restaurant wine lists.
THE VALUE
2005 Martin Codax Albarino, Spain (about $12, retail)
The 2006 Martin Codax Albarino won the Gold Medal in the annual Albarino Festival of Cambados. This is one of the most popular and prestigious festivals in Spain, attracting as many as 40,000 participants each year. With the festival in the middle of the producer's heartland, it says a lot about this wine's quality and uniqueness, considering it has won the Gold award 12 of the last 21 years.
This wine is a pale straw color. The aromas are peach and melon. Its medium-bodied palate offers tastes of apple, apricot and melon.
THE SPLURGE
2005 Bodegas As Laxas Albarino, Spain (about $16, retail)
The Rias Baixas region, just as most of Spain, has varying quality among producers. The Bodegas As Laxas, however, lies in the privileged microclimate on a hill just north of the Mino River. Many of the vineyards are terraced with southern exposureoverlooking the river for optimal ripening for the Albarino grape. If you take this exceptional climate, the complex albarino grape and add a reputable producer such as Bodegas As Laxas, the end result is a beautifully unique wine.
The color is a pale yellow with a lemon core. The wine's aromas are a complex and intense blending of herbs, grapefruit and a slight floral note lingering in the background. The light-bodied palate offers a creamy, buttery texture with lively, crisp acidity and tastes of pear, melon and mineral.
If you are looking to explore food and wine in Arkansas you may want to attend the forthcoming Eureka Springs Food and Wine Festival from Nov. 7-11. For more information, go to www.eurekasprings.org/events.
Write to Lorri Hambuchen at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or email:
Food, Pages 53 on 10/31/2007