Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/23459
APPELLATIONS Winter White A A plate of fresh seafood from Galicia, a classic match for Albariño. PHOTO: LANA BORTOLOT ALBARIÑO FROM RÍAS BAIXAS GOES WITH SEAFOOD . . . AND BEYOND lbariño: First they had to figure out how to say it. Then they had to find it. Now, just five years into the U.S. campaign, the wines from Rías Baixas, the DO in northwest Spain—while not (yet) a household word—are enjoying more brand visibility in the trade and on the table. Part of that popularity is consumers’ growing appreciation of emerging wines and the sometimes esoteric food that goes with them, thanks to star chefs like Ferran Adria. Now, other chefs are following suit, combining history and style, like chef/owner Pepe Solla of Casa Solla in Pontevedra, poised to be Galicia’s answer to Adria. In Galicia, Albariño’s spiritual home, the bounty consists of unusual wine- friendly seafood—anything that “swims or clings to a rock,” says Master Sommelier Evan Goldstein. For that reason, Albariño wines have been nicknamed the “Wines of the Sea.” But more chefs and somms are discovering and promoting the wine’s versatility with other foods—ethnic cuisines such as Asian or Indian, for example—and with tasting menus. Nick Nahigian, General Manager and Wine Director of Manhattan’s La Fonda del Sol, recommends an Albariño such as Pazo Senorans or Mar de Frades with trend foods like tapas, charcuterie and lamb sliders. “Its fresh, bright, crisp acid, minerality and clean fruit cut through fatty foods and bring out their natural sweetness, especially with cured meats.” Bracing whites are a harder sell in the winter, but on-premise is giving them an increasing focus on year-round drinkability. The rich dishes of the upcoming holidays present oppor- tunities beyond the traditional seafood feasts. Ashley Santoro, Sommelier at Casa Mono in New York City, recommends the wines with foods such as pork belly, quail and sweetbreads, and the seafood- savvy Goldstein suggests pairings with full-flavored stews, Virginia ham and duck. — Lana Bortolot Editor’s note: THE TASTING PANEL’s East Coast Editor, Lana Bortolot, recently returned from Galicia, where she washed down unidentified and delicious seafood with large amounts of Albariño. For more info, visit www.riasbaixaswines.com. PHOTO: COURTESY OF CONSEJO REGULADOR DE LA D.O. RÍAS BIAXAS 98 / the tasting panel / january–february 201 1