A Tale of Two Rias Baixas Albarinos #WorldWineTravel
World Wine Travel Group Virtually Visits Galicia
This month, our group is exploring the Galicia region in the northwest corner of Spain. It’s different from most of the rest of Spain, as it sits right on the Atlantic coast, so the climate is heavily influenced by the ocean. In fact, with all that moderate air and moisture, Galicia and its neighbors on the Bay of Biscay are nicknamed “Green Spain”. Many in our group were invited by Rias Baixas Wines to participate in a virtual press trip, almost as good as going in person!
Albariño is Rias Baixas
Albariño is the predominant grape making up the refreshing dry white wine which is the principal wine from the Rias Baixas region. We sampled three Albariños in our virtual press trip, and I feature two of them in our dinner of clams a la plancha below.
Disclosure: The wines for this post were provided as samples by Rias Baixas Wines. No other compensation was involved, all opinions expressed are mine.
Martin Codax Albariño, Rias Baixas D.O. 2019 ( sample $15 SRP, online here) 12.5% abv
Eye: pale lemon
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of white blossom, lemon peel, just ripe pears, seashells, salt air
Mouth: Dry, high acidity, medium minus body with a lean texture, medium alcohol, medium intensity flavors, medium plus finish with a touch of bitterness. Flavors of white blossom, lemon peel, just ripe pears, seashells, salt air.
Observations: Very refreshing and lively with a tart, lip-smacking high acidity. You can imagine you’re enjoying this at the beach with that touch of salt air.
Fillaboa Rias Albariño, Rias Baixas D.O. 2020 ( sample $16 SRP online here) 13% abv
Eye: Pale lemon
Nose: Medium plus aromas of chamomile, lemon, lemon curd, ripe pears, brie cheese, hay, wet gravel.
Mouth: Dry, high acidity, medium body with a soft texture, medium alcohol, medium plus intensity, medium plus finish. Flavors of chamomile, lemon, lemon curd, ripe pears, brie cheese, hay, wet gravel.
Observations: Refreshing high acidity is buffered just a bit by a softer texture due to the wine having been aged on the lees for several months.
Clams a la Plancha and Albariño
Steamed clams with fresh herbs served with a salad is just about a perfect dish for Albariño. Close your eyes and you might be transported from Minnesota to the sunny coast of Spain.
Galicia Posts from Fellow World Wine Travelers
Take a look at all the great insights into Rias Baixas and Galicia from my fellow bloggers. Why not join our chat on Twitter on Saturday April 24 from 10-11 am CDT on Twitter? Find us by searching for the #WorldWineTravel tag!
- Steve at Children of the Grape shares Troubadours, Love, and Wine.
- Terri at Our Good Life discusses One Grape: Three Unique Experiences with Albarino.
- Andrea at The Quirky Cork writes about Albariño and Bacon: A Love Affair.
- Lynn at Savor the Harvest recommends A Region and Wine You Must Explore: Rias Baixas and Albariño.
- Jeff from Food Wine Click! shares A Tale of Two Rias Baixas Albarinos.
- Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm talks about My Virtual Trip to Rias Baixas.
- Allison and Chris at ADVineTURES discuss The White Wines of Rias Baixas.
- Nicole from Somm’s Table shares It’s Raining Rias Baixas.
- Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla pairs Sopa de Cebolla + 2020 Fillaboa Albariño.
- Martin from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog talks about Bodegas Zarate; Setting the Standard for Rias Baixas Albarino – Then and Now.
- David at Cooking Chat pairs Pan Seared Sea Bass with Albariño.
- Jennifer at Vino Travels shares Refresh Your Palate with Rias Baixas Albarino.
- Melanie from Wining with Mel takes a Wine Romp Through Rias Baixas in Galicia, Spain.
- Rupal from Syrah Queen has Your Passport To Rias Baixas – Explore Three Incredible Albarinos.
- Susannah at Avvinare posts Rias Baixas – Green Spain Entices.
- Gwendolyn from Wine Predator shares From California’s Camino Real to Galicia’s Camino de Santiago: All Aboard for Albariño 2!
- Liz at What’s In That Bottle? says Pack Your Bags: We’re off to Rias Baixas for an Albariño Adventure.
- Linda, your host, from My Full Wine Glass offers 5 Things that Might Surprise You About Rías Baixas, Home of Albariño.
Little Neck Clams a la Plancha
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs little neck clams, scrubbed and debearded
- extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 8 oz. white wine
- 1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- Other aromatics/flavors of your choice: cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs such as basil, thyme
Directions
- Preheat the cast iron plancha or two skillets on the grill at medium-high temperature. I use 450 deg. F dome temperature in my ceramic grill.
- Squirt a bit of EVOO on the griddle just prior to pouring the clams onto the plancha
- Pour the clams on the plancha and cover
- When the clams start to open (2-3 minutes depending on their size), pour the herb/garlic mixture onto the clams
- When most of the clams have opened, around 8 minutes (again, depending on size) pour the wine over the clams and herbs and cover
- After the wine has evaporated, scoop all the clams and herb mixture off the grill and serve immediately
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foodwineclick 
We were truly disappointed to miss the virtual tasting. We’ve become such fans of Albarino from Rias Baixas and imagine those clams were the perfect pairing!
Thanks Allison. Albariño is a favorite of ours as well, and perfect with almost any seafood!
Those virtual kits are so fantastic!!! The wines both sound gorgeous but your description of the Martin Codax Albariño really got me. That is my kind of wine.
Thanks Andrea. I was so surprised with the box as well, they really put us in the mood of a real visit. You’re right, sometimes the easy, fresh wine is just perfect and Martin Codax does that well.
What a fun virtual trip to Spain. I was sad to miss it live with you all, but grateful for the playback. Now you have me longing for plancha’d clams…for breakfast. Is that wrong?
Clams are never wrong!
I wish I would have had those clams for my tasting!
Thanks Steve. The clams were perfect for Albariño!
That is the absolutely perfect pairing Jeff. I am drooling here.
Thanks, Wendy. They were delish.
Seafood on the grill with Albariño, hard to turn down. I noted your method here with clams. Those were the most creative kits I’ve seen yet, as was your video!
Thanks Lynn. I had fun, getting in the virtual mood!
Wow. You knocked it out of the ballpark with your pairing. It looks and sounds so delicious. Something I will want us to try at home. Yum!
Thanks Terri. It’s definitely worth a try!
Looking at that inviting table and noting Julie’s winter jacket. You two are true Minnesotans – outside as soon as the snow melts! So want those clams with an Albarino.
The patio heaters make all the difference. Thanks Linda!
I can’t believe your lawn is so green — and she’s so bundled up! It’s so dry here in CA this year. Anyway, we enjoy clams often and I’m going to try to get this version on the la plancha with albarino of course!
Thanks Gwendolyn. What we lack in warmth, we seem to make up with rain. Lawnmowing season is imminent.
I definitely feel transported! I could definitely go for a helping of those clams with one of these wines!
Shellfish is perfect for Albariño! I might have to duplicate this when we are at Cape Cod this summer.
We just had steamed Manila Clams last night. Hadn’t thought about cooking plancha style. Great idea. And I love your video!