Varietal Article

Albariño

Last edited on 12/11/2011 by Eric
There are 4 versions of this article / View version history

Varietal character (Appellation America)

Albariño (Galician pronunciation: [albaˈɾiːɲo]) or Alvarinho (Portuguese: [alvaˈɾiːɲo]) is a variety of white wine grape grown in Galicia (northwest Spain) and Monção (northwest Portugal), where it is used to make varietal white wines.

Albariño is actually the Galician name for the grape, with Albarín Blanco an occasional synonym. In Portugal it is known as Alvarinho, and sometimes as Cainho Branco. [1]

It was presumably brought to Iberia by Cluny monks in the twelfth century. Its name "Alba-Riño" means "the white from Rhine" and it has locally been thought to be a Riesling clone originating from the Alsace region of France, although earliest known records of Riesling as a grape variety date from the 15th, rather than the 12th, century. It is also theorized that the grape is a close relative of the French grape Petit Manseng. [2]

It should not be confused with the Alvarinho Liláz grape of Madeira.
×
×