John Wilson: I tasted 16 wines for this article, there were no bad ones

It may not have been on our radar until recently but we Irish have fallen completely in love with albariño. Part of its popularity may be down to location; the many Irish pilgrims walking the Camino end up in Santiago de Compostella, a town full of seafood restaurants serving albariño. But there is more to it than that.

The primary growing region is Rías Baixas (pronounced REE-ahs BYE-shahs), which translates to “low estuaries”. It is part of Galicia in northwest Spain. The vineyards run right down to the sea, making this one of the coolest, wettest wine regions of Spain. The wines are light to medium-bodied with vibrant green fruits and a refreshing acidity. Some have a beguiling saline quality, possibly from the nearby Atlantic Ocean. It is a style that appeals to fans of Marlborough sauvignon.

Rías Baixas is usually unoaked and can be enjoyed as an aperitif. It also goes well with all manner of seafood, lighter white meats and salads, making it one of the great all-purpose wines to order in a restaurant.

Albariño is also grown in the north of Portugal, where it is known as alvarinho, and plantings are increasing elsewhere too. I tasted some great examples from New Zealand recently, which also enjoys a cooler maritime climate. Dunnes Stores offer a couple of very good, well-priced French albarińo from Laurent Miquel. However, today I concentrate on Rías Baixas. I tasted 16 wines for this article. There were no bad wines and plenty with real style and verve. In addition to the wines below, I would recommend Lagar de Costa (€21.95/17.95, from O’Briens) and just have to give mention to the spectacular Tempus Vivendi 2023 Rías Baixas (€29, from 64Wine, Green Man, McCurtain).