Albariño

Albariño (al-bah-reen-yo) grows mostly in Spain and Portugal, with a few hundred acres planted in California and a bit in Australia and South America. It's a light, refreshing white wine good for summer sipping and summer's lighter meals.

It has a nice floral nose. Descriptors used are grapefruit, lemon, and stone fruit, such as peaches, nectarines, apricot. It's dry with zippy acid (that's the refreshing part) and known for its minerality making it a perfect match with Spain's local seafood. Albariño is a bit similar to Sauvignon Blanc.

Pair it with lighter meats, pork and chicken, plus seafood. The higher acid will help it stand up to a meal that's a bit spicy.

One of the few
from Sonoma County

In California, it is planted in cooler areas such as San Luis Obispo near the central coast, Carneros in Sonoma and Napa, Santa Ynez in Santa Barbara County, and even far away from the maritime climate in Amador County in the Sierra foothills. With only a few hundred acres planted in the state, Albariño from California may be difficult to find on your local store shelves, but you should be able to find Spanish or Portuguese bottles.

Summer is coming. Try something different!