ALVARINHO VS ALBARINO

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

- Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW

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, assesses his pergola-trained Albariño vines as an authorized 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 specialize 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.