Albarino going global

Albariño appears poised on the brink of international stardom with signs that ever more producers around the world are planting this northern Iberian variety.

New organic Corbières estate Les Auzines is due to plant up to 15 hectares of Albariño this autumn and there are rumours that a larger producer in the Languedoc is also planning a similar move.

Further afield, Karam Winery, part of the new generation of Lebanese producers, is putting its faith in the variety in a bid to broaden the country’s stylistic scope. The variety is also known to be planted in parts of California and on a small scale in Southern Oregon.

Famously Australia’s wine producers were frustrated by a recent attempt to capitalise on the growing popularity of Albariño when it emerged in 2009 that Barossa Valley plantings were actually Savagnin.

At Les Auzines, the first vintage of Albariño, will not be available until 2015 but for the moment export director Neasa Corish Miquel explained her husband Laurent plans to produce “a single vineyard Albariño at the higher end.” However, she also outlined scope for “a fresh blended style using Laurent’s signature Viognier along with some of the more traditional local grapes Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc.”

With its relative familiarity among consumers, especially at the top end of the quality bracket, as well as its ability to produce fresh, aromatic wines, there is an obvious appeal for Languedoc producers in adding Albariño to their existing plethora of unknown, unflashy varieties.

Nick Tatham MW, regional buying director Europe for PLB, backs this theory, explaining: “We are seeing a trend with the UK consumer at moment towards lighter, fresh and aromatic styles – Albariño clearly fits this profile.

“The south of France as a wine region is popular with the UK consumer so this is an exciting and ‘new’ proposition from a familiar and ‘safe’ area.”

Marketing aside, Miquel also pointed to a strong viticultural argument for the variety’s introduction, emphasising “the cool micro-climate and limestone terroir at Auzines,” which the pair believe is ideally suited to adding a commercially promising white to balance the red wines underpinning Corbières’ reputation.

As a rare example of a Lebanese winery located outside the Bekaa Valley, Karam Winery is already intent on distinguishing itself from the crowd. “One of our policies is to plant varieties others do not,” outlined Habib Karam, owner of Karam Winery, who also sees Albariño’s character fitting well with his preference for crisp, unoaked white wines.

“I don’t like white wine in barrel” he explained, eyeing his local market in particular with the comment: It needs to be fresh to go with the weather – you don’t want woody white wine when it’s 40ºC on the beach here.”

Wine production is a notoriously and necessarily long term game, but Albariño seems a natural and overdue candidate for widespread ascendancy. Karam for one is confident that this variety is set to become far more than just maverick territory, with his forecast: “Just you wait; in a few years everyone will be planting Albariño.”

To register for the Wines of Lebanon trade tasting on 4 November, visit www.winesfromlebanon.co.uk

Gabriel Savage, 13.10.2010