Dona Paterna Alvarinho 2010

Vinho Verde is something of a rare treat here in Australia, and I was fond of it before I ever tasted it, based purely on an article I read in an in-flight magazine on a TAP Portugal flight.  These days if I come across it by the glass, it’s always a good start at a restaurant, as was the case with this Dona Paterna Alvarinho 2010.

This is actually the second Vinho Verde I’ve covered, with the first being from Anselmo Mendes back in February.  I covered the basics, in that it’s a wine region in the north of Portugal with a maritime climate.  At one point red and white wine were produced in equal measure, but these days the trade is dominated by white wines made largely from Alvarinho, Loureiro and Trajadura, at times with a slight spritz.

What I didn’t mention is that the region is divided into nine subregions, and this wine is from the Monção e Melgaço subregion.  It is the northernmost of the subregions, and is set in from the coast, mitigating the Atlantic influence.  As a result, the climate is more continental, with cold winters of average rainfall and hot, dry summers. The soils are granitic with areas of well drained shingle.  The area is best known for Alvarinho, though I have found conflicting sources as to the permissibility of other white varieties.  Wines are differentiated from neighbouring subregions by relatively high levels of alcohol up to 13%, low yields and slightly higher prices.

I’ve said that I like Vinho Verde but I haven’t really said why.  Part of the answer is in the glass, in that it’s a light, refreshing style of wine that can be crisp and fruity at the same time, and the spritz you sometimes encounter gives it a gentle lift.  Of course much of the reason is in my head, in that I associate it with summer and lazy lunches overlooking the sea.  Also, the memory of reading about it on a flight so many years ago has remained with me as a reminder of how even then I enjoyed learning about new regions and wines.

Alvarinho, or Albariño as it is known more commonly outside of Portugal, is an Iberian grape also associated with Rias Baixas and we previously encountered it in the form of the Bodega Castro Martin Aobre Lias.  As I mentioned then, it is a thick skinned and aromatic white grape, known for producing good levels of acid, alcohol and flavour.  According to Wine Grapes, it is believed to be quite an old variety, and with Amaral is the parent of Caíño Blanco.  However, it has been shown to be unrelated to Albarín Blanco and Alfrochiero (Albarín Negro).

Dona Paterna was founded in 1990 by the Codesso family who had been growing Alvarinho in the region since 1974.  They are distributed by Vinalda (among others), but beyond that I have had a difficult time digging up any further information.  In addition to this wine, they also produce a Reserva Albarinho.  This wine was made with 12-24 hours of skin contact after crushing, and 20% of the blend saw time in old French oak with lees stirring.

In the glass this wine is clear and bright, with a pale lemon colour and thick slow legs.  On the nose it’s clean, with medium minus intensity (though it was served very cold) and a developing character with notes of lemon custard, melon, persimmon, and cinnamon toast.  On the palate it’s dry, with high acidity, medium body, medium intensity, medium alcohol, and medium length.  There are notes of lemon peel, grapefruit, cantaloupe, and an almost salty, slightly metallic finish.

This wine is of good quality.  It’s a bit sharp at the end but otherwise on the nose and palate it has a nice flavour profile with tart fruit dominating with a hint of sweetness on the nose.  Young and meant to be drunk as such, it would be good with something salty on a hot day.

Pin in the map is approximate due to a lack of information about the producer.

Bodega Castro Martin Rias Baixas Albariño Sobre Lias 2010

It’s still winter here, but I’ve had a few nice whites over the last weeks and I’m trying to sort through them.  This one in particular I had by the glass some time ago and revisited this week because the tasting note I took the first time was incomplete.  So, second time lucky with this Bodega Castro Martin Rias Baixas Albariño Sobre Lias 2010.

I look forward to getting back to Spain.  I’ve been to visit almost ten times, but all the trips were when I was living in London and more interested in whisky, and as such I’ve not done any wine tourism.  Now though, I could easily spend a summer there, starting in Rias Baixas in the northwest and winding my way through the country until I ended up in the far south in Jerez.

Speaking of starting in Rias Baixas, this is not the first time this blog has been there, though it was all the way back in February that I wrote about Bodegas Eidosela.  As I mentioned then, it is a region in that bit of Spain directly north of Portugal, on the coast, and plantings are dominated by Albariño.  Five other white grapes and six red grapes are also permitted, though combined they make up less than 10% of vines.

The climate is maritime with an abundance of rain.  Disease pressure is generally high in the vineyard, and overhead trellises or pergolas were traditionally used to allow airflow, though rows of Geneva double curtain are more commonplace now.  Soils are granitic, though some of the five sub-zones have alluvial soils as well, particularly in river valleys.

Bodegas Castro Martin is a family run producer that traces its roots back to 1887, though the current winery was established in 1982 by Domingo Martin-Morales, five years before the Rias Baixas DO was created.  The winery itself is largely gravity fed, spread across three floors, and is claimed to be the first in the region to make use of stainless steel tanks.  Since 1993, the business  has been in the hands of Angela Martin.  She was joined by English wine buyer Andrew McCarthy who apparently arrived in 2001 hoping to find some Albariño and ended up marrying Angela as well.

Bodegas Castro Martin produces four wines made exclusively from Albariño, though as expressions of different sub-zones and terroirs.  This wine is from the coolest of those sub-zones, Val do Salnés, with vines planted in sandy soil over granite and quartz.  The grapes are hand harvested into baskets, and then hand sorted at the winery.  After the fermentation in stainless steel, there is 5-6 months of lees contact.

Albariño is a thick skinned and aromatic white grape, known for producing good levels of acid, alcohol and flavour.  It is an important grape in Vinho Verde, and while in Rias Baixas it is sometimes found in a blend, more commonly of late it is bottled as a varietal.  It’s found a following among winemakers in Australia, though that is a story for later this week.

In the glass, this wine is clear and bright, with a pale lemon green colour and slow legs.  It’s clean on the nose with medium minus intensity, developing, and with notes of custard, grapefruit, pear, and blossom.  On the palate it’s dry, with high acidity, medium body, medium plus alcohol, medium plus intensity, and medium length.  There are notes of green apple, quince, grapefruit, pear, and some herbs – coriander / cilantro I think.

This wine is strongly acidic, but not in a bad way so much. It is a bit shy on the nose, but on the palate it has a very pleasing flavour profile.  I’m happy to call this good, and given that I had it by the glass it might be even better with a bottle known to be fresh.