Wine Wednesday - Evo: 2009 Albariño

As it gets hotter and hotter in south Texas (we have hit the season of five straight months of 90 plus degree weather) I tend to prefer lighter, whiter wines. This weeks selection is also from our Wine Shop at Home Wine Club and was an Evo Albariño from California. The Albariño (means white grape from the Rhine) grape comes originally from the Spanish province of Galicia, and may have been brought there by Cluny monks in the 12th century and may be a variety of Riesling. However, as Riesling isn't known until the 15th century others have suggested the grape may related to the French grape Petit Manseng. An interesting anthropological exercise would be to trace the genetic history of grapes and see if you can tie it to the historical movement of people or events.

I mentioned the Evo winery in last weeks post. We paired the wine with a chicken stir fry with basmati rice and vegetables (mostly brocoli and carrots). The aroma of the wine is definitely fruity, mostly pears and maybe peaches. The taste was crisp and the acidity lingered a little bit after but overall a pretty enjoyable drink. I still think I prefer Reisling or Gewürztraminer but I would drink this over a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. I'll give it a 4.1 out of 5 on the international panthro wine scale.