Alvarinho vs Albariño
Championed by winemakers in both Spain and Portugal, this white grape is becoming known for the diverse, high-quality wines it can produce. Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW explores a variety on the rise
Many wine professionals predict that Alvarinho/ Albariño will be the ‘next big thing’ in the world of wine. Whether this will come to pass remains to be seen, but what is certain is that this variety has become the most international of Iberia’s white grapes.
There are already very good Albariños (the name I will use for consistency in this article for the time being) in New Zealand, California, Uruguay and Argentina, and experiments in Australia, Washington and Oregon are showing promise. Bordeaux has even named it as an authorised grape variety – a small revolution, as its adoption marks the first time ever that the Bordelais have allowed a foreign variety in their wines.
This recent success may be a surprise, but it has been a long time coming. Albariño is a noble variety with an extensive history and a distinctive character. Research indicates that it originated in the northwest corner of the Iberian peninsula. As one might expect, the Portuguese and the Spanish don’t agree on exactly where it was born. One reason for this disagreement – aside from the obvious, national pride – is that the variety’s history is so long.
Late arrival
There’s no written evidence of either Alvarinho or Albariño until the 19th century, but there is a demonstrated secular record of high-quality wines in both regions. It is quite likely that these historic wines were field blends which included the variety, as is the case now in Spain’s DO Ribeiro.
Indeed, Albariño performs better in blends in most areas in the Iberian northwest. There are only two zones that specialise in 100% Albariño: the adjacent counties of Melgaço and Monção in Portugal’s DO Vinho Verde, and Val do Salnés in Spain’s DO Rías Baixas.
Albariño is fairly demanding in terms of viticultural practices and hygiene in the winery. It is sensitive to oidium and mildew, and prone to botrytis, although its thick skins make it resilient. The vines prefer to keep
‘Albariño is a noble variety with an extensive history and distinctive character’
their feet dry, so they grow better in welldrained granite soils. The variety is vigorous and needs constant attention to keep it in balance – it was not possible for its potential to be fully realised until professional approaches and modern equipment arrived in Galicia and northern Portugal. This is another reason for its late renown.
Albariño was undoubtedly one of the components of the legendary wines from Ribadavia, highly valued in the English court in the 16th century. It was – and is – also a key variety in the wines of Vinho Verde, which in 1908 became one of the first wine regions in the world to be demarcated by law. Despite these uses, the variety was all but forgotten for several centuries.
There are two reasons for this: first, in the golden age of wine exports from Portugal and Spain (the 18th and 19th centuries), the market demanded high-alcohol wines like Port and Sherry. Albariño was more comparable with the delicate whites of Rheingau and Champagne, both of which enjoyed much easier access to urban centres. Additionally, Vinho Verde and Rías Baixas were poor and isolated regions at that time. Viticulture was part of a subsistence economy, developed in extremely small landholdings, where vines usually had to share the land with other crops and animals. There was no incentive to produce quality wines.
The incorporation of Portugal and Spain to the European Union in 1986 changed everything. Markets opened, transport infrastructure reached the regions, governance improved and, most importantly, people could get training, while wineries could receive capital investments. From then on, qualityoriented viticulture and modern winemaking began to develop – and global markets started to appreciate the unique personality and high calibre of Albariño wines.
Much in common
The main appellations of origin for Albariño are Vinho Verde in Portugal and Rías Baixas in Spain. Both are relatively large regions with a number of sub-regions: nine for Vinho Verde, and five for Rías Baixas. Many other varieties are authorised in both regions.
Vinho Verde and Rías Baixas have predominantly well-draining granite soils and an Atlantic climate, with lots of rain and mild temperatures. However, the Portuguese sub-zones are more continental, with a greater variation in temperatures and less rain. Vines are planted at very low altitudes in Salnés and many vineyards are close to the ocean, while in Monção e Melgaço they can be planted at altitudes of up to 350m.
Viticulture is also different in the two regions. In Rías Baixas many vines are still trained using pergola systems to protect the grapes from excessive humidity; however in Vinho Verde, trellis models are preferred. Today, because of mechanisation (the necessary consequence of modernisation), most new vineyards in both regions are now trained in similar ways.
Rías Baixas and Vinho Verde share the same difficult heritage, namely the tiny size of individual vineyards. In Monção e Melgaço, the average vineyard size is 0.83ha; in Salnés, it is 0.58ha.
In the past, this was a major barrier to producing commercially successful wines, as small properties did not have the means or incentive to pursue high quality. In such small vineyards, older, more traditional farmers
tended to aim for very high yields to compensate for their poor revenue, resulting in dilute wines of little interest. Indeed, the main challenge for new producers is buying or renting consistent vineyards.
This is why cooperatives play such a crucial role in both regions: they provide expert assistance to growers and structure the grape supply to generate added value, so that the sector can leave behind subsistence economy schemes. Co-ops have been a driver of change, facilitating a qualitative leap forward. Many of the modern improvements in quality are the consequence of simply keeping the vine’s balance by reducing yields.
Taste the difference
When it comes to distinguishing between Alvarinho and Albariño, each category has typical characteristics. Albariño from Spain tends to have aromas of stone fruit (apricot and peach), with ripe citrus and restrained floral notes (orange blossom). When picked late or in warm vintages, it is common to detect tropical fruit and even orange-peel aromas. Often, the wines show grass and hay notes, and sometimes a hint of eucalyptus. Many basic wines can be quite herbaceous, even weedy.
In Portugal, meanwhile, Alvarinho must be fresh – often with crisp acidity – and moderate in alcohol, between 12% and 13.5%, with a firm structure. Producers often try to tame its tendency to bitterness on the finish, but I think that in the best wines such an elegant bitterness can be a sign of distinction.
While I struggle to imagine a more perfect match than fruity young Albariño and seafood, good Alvarinho has an amazing capacity to yield pleasure and distinction in many diverse situations. It blends extremely well with other varieties, such as Treixadura, Loureiro and Lado, and even with international varieties such as Riesling.
Albariño’s flavour profile can also be influenced by a variety of winemaking practices. Once grape quality improved, many
‘Good Alvarinho has an amazing capacity to yield pleasure and distinction in many diverse situations’
winemakers looked to make wines that could develop over longer periods. They realised that some wines could achieve real complexity after long ageing on their fine lees, and today this is the style of some of the best-known wines. The aromatic profile then becomes quite diverse: delicate quince and honey notes appear, along with dried herbs and, in some cases, some toasty notes that could give the illusion of oak ageing. Such wines are denser on the palate, with a long aftertaste.
Other producers are dedicating increasing attention to fermentation and ageing in oak barrels. Only top-quality Alvarinho grapes can withstand such practice, however, since a lot of phenols and fruit character are needed to balance the oak influence and to retain
freshness. The best examples are worth the effort: the wines are imbued with smoky and often brioche-like flavours, a slightly tannic texture and a buttery finish.
Old Albariño is a rarity worth pursuing. After eight to 10 years, the wines lose their fruitiness and acquire a complex iodine minerality – not dissimilar to good Chenin Blanc. They keep their freshness on the palate, extend their persistence and develop a multilayered aftertaste.
Complex expresssions
Theoretically, wines from Vinho Verde should be quite different from those of Rías Baixas.
The higher elevation and temperature variation in Portugal should give wines of more tension and higher acidity than those from coastal Spain, which you would expect to be mellower and rounder given the milder climate. This theory proves true for basic wines. However, tasting up the quality ladder, the differences are more complex.
In my view, in the best wines, the unique character of each varietal profile outweighs any regional personality. The only downside occurs when, with the aim of enhancing complexity, too much experimentation and influence by the winemaker masks the pure fruit expression.