North-West (including Albariño)
Albariño can veer from being a high-acid squeeze of citrus to a comforting slice of fresh peach. The 2018 seems to have given wines more in the former than the latter camp, and our tasters were not overly impressed. Yes, there was freshness there, but not much else, and for the prices they expected more.
They didn’t find much to be excited about from the somewhat limited range of other white wines from the north-west either. But solace was at hand from an unlikely source: the reds. Hugely popular with the tasters, there were great wines here at good prices, with the wonderful Ronsel do Sil providing Ribera Sacra’s first Critics’ Choice winner.
From The Tasting Teams
‘Albariño does sell, and most of the time it’s at a good price point. I do a lees-aged one that brings a different style.’ Michael Fiducia, The Royal Automobile Club
‘Refreshing, spicy, full of bright red fruits. You could list the reds anywhere, and they’d be good for food or by the glass too.’ Jurijs Nemkovs, StreetXO
‘Most of these Albariños were nothing particularly special. They’re charging too much for it, and the variety is losing its identity.’ Angela Reddin, team leader
‘I really enjoyed this red flight. These were very succulent, structured, meaty wines. Customers ask for them, and respond well to them too, with steak, and even for white meat.’ Elisa Soggia, Trivet
‘The north-west is one of the most exciting areas of Spain at the moment. The reds were a full-blown success of a flight.’ Jan Konetzki, team leader