13 May Oregon Wine Month continues – Abacela Albariño
To celebrate Oregon Wine Month,
one could opt for the obvious, i.e.,
go for the Pinot.
While you could easily enjoy 31 different
Oregon Pinot Noirs…one for every day
in the month of May…this week we decided
to zig while everyone else zags.
It’s Wine Thursday!, our weekly
good-wine-at-a-good-price-
that-you-can-find review,
just in time for the weekend.
Is the wine from the Willamette Valley?
Nah, too obvious.
This week’s featured wine is produced
in an area more known for lumber
than vino…
Roseburg.
Curve ball #2: it’s a wine that is usually associated
with Spain or Portugal, not Oregon.
The wine is Albariño.
For over 25 years, the folks who run the
Abacela Winery have been
walking the path less traveled.
They’ve experimented with a number
of non-traditional (for Oregon) grapes
such as Malbec, Dolcetto and their
claim to fame, Tempranillo.
They’ve also experimented with Albariño.
The 2019 version of the experiment is a success.
What a terrific alternative white this is.
It comes out strong with orange and lemon aromas and flavors.
It’s dry and light with zippy acidity.
There’s an undertone of salinity, i.e., slightly-salty flavor
which makes this wine a perfect match
with any and all seafood.
This would also pair well
with leafy green salads.
We found the 2019 Abacela Albariño
at QFC and Fred Meyer for $16.99.
You can order it online from
Big Hammer Wines for $18.98
https://www.bighammerwines.com/
from MadWine for $19.99
and from Wine.com for $21.99
The winery is currently selling the 2020 vintage for $21