Wine with Leslie: New wines from the Galicia region of Spain
Pic: iStock
Irish wine drinkers can’t seem to get enough Albariño, despite the fact that there are dozens of wines on our shelves from this small region in northwest Galicia.Â
We are their third-biggest market by volume. Albariño sells itself these days, so this week I am going to talk about the rest of Galicia, which has similarly tasty white wines and arguably just as much potential.
Galicia has five DO-accredited wine regions, and as you might expect, Rias Baixas is the largest followed by Ribeiro and nearby Ribeiro Sacra, and then Valdeorras and Monterrei.Â
Ribeiro is the longest established having achieved DO status in 1957 (Rias Baixas only gained theirs in 1988).
A group of producers from Ribeiro were in Ireland recently looking to find some buyers and to increase their profile, and having tasted around 30 wines from the region I’m happy to oblige as I loved almost every wine I tasted.Â
Ribeiro is located in the province of Ourense in South-Eastern Galicia near the border with Castilla Y Leon.
Ribeiro is mainly a white wine region (90%) and peachy floral Treixadura is the dominant grape variety, but you will also find Godello, Loureiro, Albariño and Caiño Branco.Â
There were just a couple of reds at the tasting and they were excellent also with bright lively fruits.Â
The red grapes are rather obscure in Ribeiro and include Brancellao, Sousón, Caiño Longo and Caiño Bravo as well as MencÃa which you probably know. No Ribeiro reds are available here yet as far as I know.
Treixadura wines are typically golden straw colour with tropical-tinged apple and ripe pear aromas with touches of bay leaf and lemon.Â
They're lower in acidity than Albariño but with a pleasing lemony tang rather than the saline notes you get in Albariño. I recommend a couple this week as well as some other wines I like from Galicia.
On a separate note, the K Club is hosting a dinner featuring wines from the Château Léoville Barton stable on November 10 next, hosted by Lillian Barton, whose family owned Straffan House for many years. This should be a very special evening.
- Lillian Barton Wine Dinner – Friday 10th November, The Barton, The K Club, Co. Kildare - €295. Room packages are also available. Tel: 01-6017200, reservations@kclub.ie
Reduced from €17 in O’Briens at the moment and a solid introduction to Godello. Monterrei is the smallest of the Galician DO and is often great value.Â
Godello likes a damp warm climate and so is nicely suited to Galicia. This has baked pear and apple aromas with a hint of bay leaf and bitter lemon - waxy and ripe on the palate with some stony lemony zing on the finish.
This is 90% Treixadura this has typical floral, sweet apple and peach aromas, creamy pear and apple fruits and some balancing acidity and lemon zest. It's perfect for some mussels or scallops.Â
Also, watch out for Casanova’s big brother Finca Viñoa (€23) which has noticeably more texture and layers of flavour.
Mainly from Treixadura with a few other grapes added for balance: Albariño, Loureira, Godello and Torrontés. This has a sumptuously layered floral, tropical nose, a tiny hint of spritz on the palate with tropical fruits, pineapple and lime all showing up along with a herbal note and a zingy crisp finish.
This is from James Rodgers, an importer with an impressive collection of wines. This has floral pear and peach aromas, a lush ripe palate enlivened by flashes of lemon and dried limes, and pleasing texture and complexity. This producers’ Godello and Loureiro are also excellent and worth seeking out.
I first tasted this wine in Spain with a plate of queen scallops which it matched beautifully. Mainly from Godello this has lemon verbena aromas with soft baked apple notes, bitter-sweet citrus flavours with tropical fruits and pear touches, textured and delicious. Also try their fruit driven MencÃa.
Rafael Palacios has gained worldwide fame for his Godello, in particularly his top wine ‘As Sortes’ (€64) which is arguably Spain’s best white wine. Louro is almost (but not quite) as good — floral and stone fruit aromas, fennel and sage, creamy and complex with brisk acidity and a lingering salty tang.
Aldi have a selection of new beers in stock to celebrate Oktoberfest and there are some gems including Dot Brew Red Ale and Cyro Pop East Coast IPA, Rascals Yankee White and Whitewater Hoppel Hammer IPA.Â
There are also some good pils including Bitburger, and Brewdog Oktoberfest Lager.
I haven’t featured Galway Hooker in a while and when I last mentioned this beer in 2015 it was a full per-cent higher in abv. I prefer this version I think.Â
Lively citrus and tropical fruit aromas, apple and lemon flavours on the clean crisp palate with spikes of spice and hop notes, and a hop-focused dry finish.
