Yet Another Great Reason to Live and Drink in South Florida: Albariño in January!

After listening to my best friend Syd recount the local snowfall amounts for the week in Beverly, MA I had to thank my lucky stars for the gorgeous weather we're having here in South Florida. So it got into the low 40's a few times and I actually had to put on a sweater last week - not a big deal relative to shoveling and snow-blowing! 

Practical issues aside, the gorgeous weather here also allows for a wider variety of wine choices, which can never be a bad thing as far as I can tell. Personally, I would find it a bit odd opening a crisp, cold bottle of rosé in front of a roaring fire while snow was falling outside. Au contraire here in Florida, where temperatures in the mid-50's are definitely open to interpretation. A fabulous wine to try here in the "dead of winter," or pretty much any time of the year, is Albariño.

Albariño is a white grape varietal grown in northwest Spain and Portugal that produces lovely, lively wines with fabulous, food-friendly acidity. Spain produces Albariño to a significant degree in the Rías Baixas DO (click the link to hear the pronunciation and get a leg up on any wine snobs), and is also common in the Vinho Verde region of Portugal. If you are a Pinot Grigio, Viognier or Sauvignon Blanc fan, you may want to give this white wine a try. Albariño is also readily available at most local wine shops. Two of my faves to look for would be:

Martín Códax Rías Baixas Albariño 2009: crisp and dry with a nice acidity and flavors of lemon zest, pear and passion fruit $15.
Vionta Rías Baixas Albariño 2009: citrus and lychee on the nose followed by pear and lemon on the palate and refreshing acidity $20.

The Rías Baixas region is located in close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and, not so coincidentally, Albariño pairs wonderfully with just about anything that comes out of it. I especially love it with Florida Stone Crabs which are in high season right now. This is really a delicious pairing which we are fortunate enough to enjoy until the end of Stone Crab season on May 15.

So next time you're looking to roll with some white wine in the middle of January, pop on over to your local wine store and try a bottle of Albariño! I'd love to hear what you think.

Cheers,