Sal da Terra Albariño Rías Baixas

I fell in love with the aromatic grape variety, Albariño, a few years ago and have been converting people over to its wines ever since. Albariño is one of the best Spanish still white wines and although there are a lot of cheaper versions, there are also some great quality Albarinos like Sal da Terra Albariño Rías Baixas which is organic (currently uncertified) and vegan-friendly. The 2018 was described by JancisRobinson.com as “a wine to make me fall in love with Albariño again” – and this vintage does the same. The Rías Baixas region with its relatively cool (and somewhat damp) climate produces the best examples. The grape is low-yielding which adds to the concentration and complexity of the wines. Albariño is widely regarded as an aromatic grape variety though the wines manage to combine fruity flavours with crisp minerality and fresh acidity. Some of this wine was fermented in large chestnut barrels and then blended with wine fermented in concrete so the wood influence is very subtle. And chestnut barrels differ from oak barrels in that they are produced by boiling or steaming the wood rather than by toasting it and therefore the effect of the wood is very limited.

For a similar wine from a more unusual grape variety, try Terras Gauda La Mar.

Recommended if you want to impress your friends with an “in vogue” wine.  Pair with fish, including oily fish and fish served in Mediterranean tomato-based sauces, goats cheese. Since it is quite rich and full-bodied it will also pair well with quite strongly flavoured dishes.

Serve at: 9 – 12°C

“Ripe citrus, stone fruit and white blossoms on the nose, with a hint of stony minerality. Despite refreshing zesty acidity there is wonderful breadth on the palate, with flavours of yellow peach, lime cordial and a sea-breeze salinity lingering on the finish.”

93 points – RobertParker.com
“The 2020 Sal da Terra is an Albariño that was produced by blending two different wines to showcase the salinity of the Salnés Valley. The name of the wine means salt from the earth in Gallego. The first wine comes … 35-year-old vines on granitic sand sabre soils, and it fermented in a 1,200-liter chestnut vat where it was kept with the lees for nine months. The second wine comes from …Castrelo, and it fermented in a 1,500-liter raw concrete vat where it matured for nine months with the lees but without bâtonnage and with full malolactic. The two wines were blended and kept for three months to get assembled. This is riper at 13.6% alcohol and powerful but with high acidity and great freshness. It has some balsamic notes redolent of bay leaf along with some balsamic and minty notes, possibly from the Castrelo wine. It’s also spicy, with notes of cloves and nutmeg.”

94 points – RobertParker.com
“The 2023 Sal da Terra is a special bottling for the importers of Zarate and Eulogio Pomares wines in the UK… It was produced with 60% grapes from Carballoso in Xil, Meaño, six kilometers from the sea at 250 meters above sea level. The vineyard was planted with 37-year-old vines on sandy granite soils; this part fermented in a 1,200-liter chestnut barrel. The remaining 40% of the volume was produced from the Francón vineyard, which also produces Eulogio’s Pedraneira, and it fermented and matured in a 1,500-liter concrete vat. The blend of the two is very balanced and elegant, harmonious, clean and expressive, with some flavors reminiscent of those I found in Pedraneira. It has a fine-grained texture and finishes tasty and focused.”