+- WineBoard (https://www.wines.com/wineboard)
+-- Forum: TASTING NOTES & WINE SPECIFIC FORUMS (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-200.html)
+--- Forum: Spanish Wines/Varieties (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-35.html)
+--- Thread: Albarina (/thread-10496.html)
- emc - 04-12-2002
Hi I recently had someone suggest a Spanish white called Albarina. I had never heard of it. Can anyone compare this varietal with something more common? Any characteristics would be appreciated, thanks.
- Innkeeper - 04-13-2002
Are you sure it isn't albarino? Michael Schuster describes it thusly: "Although some versions can be fairly full-bodied and strong, most are the lighter versions. Pale, floral-scented, delicate dry wines, usually lemon tinged and with a touch of spritz (a term now outlawed by the ATF!), crisp yet smooth. Oak is anathema to them, but that doesn't prevent a few producers from trying it."
- Randy Caparoso - 04-13-2002
The closest thing to Albarino in respect to its flowery fragrance is Riesling. The difference is that Albarino tends to have a distinctive flinty/minerally edge, plus the fact that they are usually vinified dry (whereas Rieslings are anywhere from dry to very sweet). The body is usually light to light-medium.