Albarino Wine of Rias Baixas for Your Fall and Winter Enjoyment - Even Thanksgiving

Don't ask my why but when I think of Spanish white wines I think of spring and summer. I love to make white sangria with Albarino. It may be because I dream of Espana as a warm and sunny place. When a friend suggested I consider Albarino for Thanksgiving I had to rethink this.

In Fall and Winter I think of deeper wines like Riesling or Pinot Blanc from Germany, Austria or Alsace France.

But what better wine for the cold of winter than a bright crisp golden wine like Albarino. Here are two that we like.

Albarino is from a community in Northern Spain called Galicia in a wine Denominación de Origen (Designation of Origin - DO) called Rias Baixas (Ree-ass By-shass).  It has been grown here since the 12th century when it was first planted by the Cistercian monks of the Monastery of Armenteira.

While the origin of Albarino is uncertain some believe that it may have been brought to Spain by Cluny monks in the twelfth century. In fact the name "Alba-Riño" means "the white [wine] from the Rhine." Locally it has been thought to be a Riesling clone from Alsace or perhaps related to French grape Petit Manseng.

By nature it has a pale golden lemon color with crisp aromas, dry medium body with flavors of white peach, apricot, melon, pineapple, mango and sometimes honeysuckle. There is often good natural minerality and moderate alcohol.

For Thanksgiving this wine can has a "certain richness to it, one that would complement, say, bacon or sausage in a stuffing but simultaneously cut through the heaviness with beautifully crisp fruit and mineral notes. Bon Appetit.

I also see it pairing well with a Thanksgiving pumpkin or squash soup and roasted vegetables. The medium body and dry flavors are a great compliment to many traditional Thanksgiving dishes like our loved Pennsylvania Dutch endive/chicory salad with bacon dressing.

Two Rias Baixas Albarinos we like are Serra Da Estrella and Pazo Sano Mauro.

The Serra, produced by Aldegas Valminor company, has a beautiful deep yellow color with olive green hues. The nose opens with a tropical essence with apple and floral scents.

It is more full-bodied than some Albarinos I have drank with rich apricot, pear and honeysuckle flavors.

My friend Greg Dal Piaz describes Serra Da Estrella well saying "Aromas of dried citrus peel and pressed flowers. Bright on entry with vivid acidity and nice if subtle flavors of dried peach and citrus ..." 85pts Snooth Review

Every persons wine experience is different but I think you will enjoy this one.

The Pazo San Mauro is made by Cristina Mantilla a woman, who with other women like Alexia Luca de Tena, is breaking the gender barrier of wine makers of Spain and making great wine. Ladies of Spain Wall Street Journal

It is bottled in green glass but pours as a light yellow straw-color. It has apple and and grapefruit on the nose. Medium bodied but full of flavor. Stephen Tanzer of International Wine Cellar says "Light yellow. Mineral-accented pear and melon aromas display good clarity. Spicy citrus and orchard fruit flavors are nicely filled in and juicy, finishing with lingering melon and spice character."

The Rías Baixas Denominacions de Origen was formed in 1988 which makes it one of the youngest in Spain. It is unique in that it is the only DO that produces solely white wine. So they make their whites very well.