Albarino white wine variety in Australia

October 26, 2010

Philippines Wine Shop Clark Wine Center is pleased to share with you articles, news and information about wine, wine events, wine tasting and other topics related to wine and the appreciation of wine.

Albarino is an aromatic white wine wariety from Spain. Many Australian winemakers are enthusiatic

In early 2009 a controversy emerged about the identity of the varieties in some Albarino vineyards in Australia. It is now confirmed that these vines may in fact be Savagnin.  The problem originated in 1989 when Spanish authorites made a mix up when supplying propagating material to the CSIRO.

This is a late ripening white wine variety whose home is the Rias Baixas and Galician wine regions of North West Spain and Portugal. These areas, under the influence of the nearby Atlantic Ocean, are cooler and wetter than the rest of Spain.

In Portugal the variety is known as ‘Alvarinho’

Some commentators believe Albarino is the same variety as Petit manseng which is widely grown in South-west France on the other side of the Pyrenees.

In the north west of the Iberian Peninsula this variety produces light bodied wines with high acidity. The Portuguese Vinho Verde’s made from this variety are often very light in body and alcohol, say 8.5%, reflecting the common practice of overcropping on pergola trellises in a warm, humid climate.

Albarino wines are very aromatic, redolent of peaches and apricots and can display a complex array of flavours, similar to Viognier but with much less weight.

It is no surprise to those who have tried these wines that this is now the most fashionable Spanish varietal white wine.

This variety has enormous potential in Australia which has yet to be explored, but I think it needs to be given more extensive trials in cooler regions, say the Mornington Peninsula, King Valley or the northern slopes of the Macedon Ranges Region.

Wineries using Albarino grapes to make wine in Australia include:

• 919 Wines Riverlands
• Artwine Clare Valley
• Bago Vineyards Hastings River
• Brown Brothers King Valley
• Centennial Vineyards Southern Highlands
• Chapel Hill McLaren Vale
• Chrismont King Valley
• Crittenden at Dromana Mornington Peninsula
• Dunn’s Creek Winery Mornington Peninsula
• Eumundi Winery Queensland Coastal
• First Drop Barossa Valley
• Gemtree Vineyards McLaren Vale
• Glandore Estate Hunter Valley
• Gracebrook Vineyards King Valley
• Irvine Eden Valley
• Kellermeister Wines Barossa
• Mansfield Wines Mudgee
• Omersown Wines Riverland
• Quarry Hill Wines Canberra
• Rusty Fig Wines South Coast Zone
• Stockman’s Ridge Central Ranges Zone
• Symphonia King Valley
• Tamar Ridge Northern Tasmania
• Tscharke Barossa Valley
• Tuck’s Ridge Mornington Peninsula

What should you eat with Albarino wine?

Spanish style seafood dishes or tapas are the the obvious choices for food pairing with Albarino varietal wines. However it is a very versatile variety and can be used in a similar way to Riesling with all manner of seafood dishes, especially those with garlic. Paella, pastas and risottos will be enjoyed with these wine as well.

Source: http://www.vinodiversity.com/albarino.html

Clark Wine Center was built in 2003 by Hong Kong-based Yats International Leisure Philippines to become the largest wine shop in Philippines supplying Asia’s wine lovers with fine vintage wines at attractive prices.  Today, this wine shop in Clark Philippines offers over 2000 selections of fine wines from all major wine regions in the world.  As a leading wine supplier in Philippines, Pampanga’s Clark Wine Center offers an incomparable breadth of vintages, wines from back vintages spanning over 50 years.  Clark Wine Center is located in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone adjacent to Angeles City, just 25 minutes from Subic and 45 minutes from Manila.

Wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Alsace, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, Chile and Argentina etc. are well represented in this Clark Wine Shop.

For more information, email Wine@Yats-International.com or visit http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com