5 Iberian whites

With this summer’s record breaking heat, and the dog days of August upon us, we turn to white wines to cool us off. First up, five from Iberia– a region of the world most well known for their red wines.  We have two from Spain and three from Portugal — including two Albarino, one from each country just in time for Albarino Day which is today! We paired these refreshing, chill white wines with Spanish style tapas, Mediterranean orzo salad, oysters, and whole grilled snapper for a dinner that keeps the house cool too.  

Coming soon: Rhone whites from southern France and Rhone whites from Southern California for Aug 4 “White Wine Day”!

Nuria Renom La Maca Beu, Spain– backside

Wines

• 2022 Nuria Renom La Maca Beu, Spain
• 2020 Adega de Redondo “Porta da Ravessa”, Alentejo, Portugal 
• 2018 Conventual Reserva Vinho Branco Portalegre, Alentejo DOC  
• 2021 The Messenger Albarino, Vinho Verde, Portugal
• 2020 Val de Burgas Albarino, Rias Biaxas,  DO Spain

Menu

• Lemon herb olives
• On Toast– 
  From Spain: Chorizo, Tres Leches, Farmstead Manchego, Queso de Murcia Al Vino PDO 
  From Portugal: Coelho de Vilao, Quito de Nisa DOP
  From Italy: Prosciutto  
• Raw and grilled oysters with Spanish chorizo 
• Dates stuffed with blue cheese and pecans wrapped in prosciutto 
• Mussels with Portuguese Barriga de Sueno from Minho Fumeiro
• Grilled Spanish Style Whole Red Snapper 
• Mediteranean Orzo Salad 

2022 Les Cantarelles Barcelo Nuria Renom La Maca Beu, Spain

2022 Les Cantarelles Barcelo Nuria Renom La Maca Beu, Spain

ABV: 10%
SRP: 
Grapes: organic Maca Beu
Importer: Jose Pastor Selections (see photo)

Appearance:  Golden, platinum rim,  cloudy, very much like a natural wine, pours like soda, delicate bubbles remain in the glass

Aroma: Smells wonderful, savory and sweet, peach and apricot, meaty, earthy, salinity 

Palate: Gentle velvety foam, peach and apricot, saline, Bartlett pear on the finish,  

Pairing: This was so good with our mussels loving the smokey savory profile of the meal. Wow, just wow with our fresh oysters giving one an experience of being in a fluffy cloud floating across the sky, on the palate it brings out the peach and apricot such bright fruit in the wine. Love love love the rabbit toasts with this wine the wine picked up on the sweetness of the hole grain toasts and tomato base in the sauce, great with the stuffed dates.

Stay tuned and subscribe! We have more wines upcoming to feature from this wonderful woman winemaker from Spain who I met at Winefare SF!

2020 Adega de Redondo “Porta da Ravessa”, Alentejo, Portugal 

ABV: 12.5%
SRP: 
Grapes: Verdelho 40% Arento 30%, Anto Vaz 30%
Imported by: Saraiva Interprises

Appearance:  Pale lemon with a bit of green, platinum rim, very clear

Aroma: Sea grass, hay, meadow, chamomile, hint of lime, salinity, 

Palate: Slickery, not oily, clean and fresh, lemon, rosemary, simple yet pleasing with a notable mouthfeel. 

Pairing: In all of the ways you would enjoy a Sauvignon Blanc this wine would fit the bill. Fantastic with the cheeses on our cheese board, fabulous with our lemon peel olives, this wine loves salt forward food, great with our muscles, it loves the smokey flavors of the barriga and garlic in the wine sauce, it fought a bit with the tomatoes but loved all of the other aspects of the dish, handles the salad well, very good with the rabbit toasts. 

More wines from Portugal with summer dishes coming soon! In the meantime, check out this wine from Portugal that we recently wrote about for Wine and Cheese Day.

2018 Conventual Reserva Vinho Branco Portalegre, Alentejo DOC, Portugal

ABV: 12%
SRP: 
Grapes: 20%Roupeiro, 20%Bicai, 40%Arinto, 20%Femaopires,
Imported by: Brands of Portugal

Usually when you think of Portuguese wines from the Alentejo, you think rich reds. But on my recent visit to Portugal sponsored by Wines Of Alentejo, I learned that the Portalegre region of the Alentejo is best known for the production of lively lovely white wines that work well with food as we found with this wine.

Appearance:  Very pale straw, platinum rim, very clear 

Aroma: Very light, minerals and green, bees wax, tangerine, fennel, rosemary and sage, salinity and iron, lemon verbena 

Palate: Very dry, very acidic, bold acidity, lemon, lemon snuff, lemon verbena 

Pairing: The rabbit toasts brighten the wine perfectly, when having this pairing we felt that the wine would do well with a tuna salad, with the orzo salad it cut through the vinegar flavors making us think that it would be very good with fish with a lemon caper sauce. The olives make the wine very sweet, perfect with the muscles, it even appreciates the tomato in the dish, great with everything on the cheese plate especially the farmhouse manchego. 

Messenger Albarino

2021 The Messenger Albarino, Vinho Verde, Portugal

ABV: 13%
SRP: Purchased by Sue at Grocery Outlet
Grapes: Alvarino
Importer: Art + farm

Read more about vinho verde here. 

Appearance:  Pale lemon yellow, platinum rim, 

Aroma: Meyer lemon, anise, Fennel, salinity, vanilla, the vanilla is enhanced with food on the palate

Palate: Lemon custard, lemon creamsicle, lemon curd, bright acidity, very lemony, tangerine,  very impressive for the price. 

Pairing: Fantastic with the cheese board loving all of the cheeses nd meats, the Tres Leches cheese brought out lovely caramel in the cheese and the wine, very nice with the orzo salad loving the brininess of the Kalamata olives, over the moon with the muscles, it sings with the muscles themselves bringing out a peachy nectarine aspect in the wine,, Fabulous with the rabbit  toasts, 

2020 Val de Burgas Albarino, Rias Biaxas,  DO Spain