Albariño
Albariño from Spain, also known as Alvarinho in Portugal, is a lively, acidic, unoaked aromatic grape with vivid floral aromas. It shows off flavors of apricots, peaches, pears, and green apples. With its high glycerine, it feels very silky in the mouth. It is grown in the northwest corner of the Spanish wine region called Rios Baixas and also in Portugal's Vinho Verde region. Albariño tends to be more flavorful and weighty than its Vinho Verde cousin. Albariño shares characteristics with white Burgundy, white Bordeaux, and Picpoul di Pinet.
Albariño can work well with a variety of cheeses such as Ibores, Selles-sur-Cher, and Zamorano. Not recommended with blues.
(So far, I've not had the best of
luck with pairing this wine with cheese, but check back.
This is supposed
to be a good wine with cheeses.)
Agnusdei 2002 (Tasted in 2004) $13.99 at Grapevine - demo wine one Saturday. From Rias Baixas in Spain, SA Pontevedra. 12% alcohol. This is from Terra Verus Trading Co in Austin. Selected in the Salnes's Valley. At the tasting it was crisp and light in taste, yet medium to full-bodied.
Laxas with Rocinate Cabra. This is ok together. It kind of makes a vomity aftertaste. They sort of subdue each other.
Laxas with Idiazabal. I don’t really like this together. It is too bitter. It is not horrible. On second taste, it’s not that bad. It makes the wine a little fizzy.
Laxas with Roncal. They fought a little bit. It went together like the Idiazabal with it.
Martín Códax 2001 9Tasted in 2003) 12% alcohol. $15.99 at Central Market. The guy there told me this was one of his favorites. From Rías Baixas. Martín Códax was a 13th Century Galician troubadour whose music celebrated love and wine. This wine is supposed to be aromatic, crisp, and dry, and should go well with seafood or shellfish. It is very very good -- citrusy, lemony, maybe a little bit of apple and some floral. It is lightly effervescent. Light, dry, tangy, and tart, but not as tart as the Loire Sauvignon Blancs. It tastes like lemons. The guy at Central Market said that this wine had many good memories attached to it.
Martín Códax with Campo de Montalban. The cheese is tangy, creamy-tasting, and mild, but still very much connected to the land. This is ok together. The texture is really great against it. I could use a little more fruit in the wine, less acidity, but this is good.
Martín Códax with Crottin de Chavignol. This cheese is so dense and fills your mouth with perfume of goat. The acidity works ok with the goat, but I think this Crottin is not quit right with it. The Crottin is aromatic in a different way than the wine is. The wine seems too much like a summertime wine for the beach, even though it shares a lot with the Sauvignon Blancs that go with goat cheese. When I put it with this, the characters just aren't right. The goat cheese seems more serious, and just more...French.
Martín Códax with Garrotxa. This Garrotxa got lost in the fridge and developed a spicy, peppery flavor, but I tasted it with the wine anyway. It wasn't so bad. It seems like it would go ok together with a fresher Garrotxa.
Martín Códax with herbed goat cheese from rentmothernature.com. I thought this would be good since the cheese is a little less delicate than the Valençay Pyramide, but the wine totally classes with the fresh herbs on the outside of the cheese. The herbs were great on the cheese, but too much with the wine. Patrick thought it was ok. I thought the herbs needed a softer wine maybe.
Martín Códax with Ibores goat. Salty, tangy, goaty hard cheese. Very tangy. OK with this wine. It is a little bitter. It is not bad, but not so great. This cheese is maybe too rustic for the wine. It is pretty hard. I think the softer Garrotxa was better.
Martín Códax with Queso al Pimenton. The cheese is milky, but a little bitter after the wine. It was awful with the wine! It was harsh and mean. This wine is way too tart for this semi-soft, creamy cheese.
Martín Códax with Roncal. OK, robust and sheepy. This works ok. It is a little bitter and the cheese is grainy. I think I'd like this cheese better with a red wine.
Martín Códax with Valençay Pyramide. This works ok together. The acidity matches well and it's interesting compared to some of the super crisp Sauvignon Blancs that I've been doing with this cheese. I think it's good because it is milder together. The wine overpowers the cheese a little bit. The cheese is so fluffy compared to this sharp, frizzante wine.