Albariño harvest outlook for 2006

[Brian Murdock]

Good news for Albariño lovers. It looks like this year's harvest is going to be both abundant and high in quality - two characteristics that don't always go hand-in-hand in grape-growing. This is especially good news considering the dreadful forest fires that raged in Galicia in the first half of August and which affected some of the vineyards of D.O. Rias Baixas. Rias Baixas produces most of the Albariño that you are familiar with. Overall damage to the vineyards apparently was not extensive. Ironically, some say that the fires may have contributed to a premature ripening of the grapes (the harvest is expected to be early this year - Sept. 10), because the heat and smoke created a kind of small-scale greenhouse effect and kept nighttime temperatures higher than normal. At least that's one theory that has been thrown around. But the summer has been very warm and very sunny for Galicia (Spain in general is going through a severe drought), so I figure that has been the mot important factor.

By the way, the D.O. in July rated last year's (2005) vintage as "Excellent", so keep that in mind for your next purchase.

Edited September 3, 2006 by Brian Murdock (log)

[docsconz]

Good news, indeed!

Thanks for the update and outlook, Brian. Albarinos are amongst my favorite white wines to accompany food. I find them to be very well balanced with nice flavors of their own. Fortunately the price has remained somewhat reasonable compared to other wines of similar quality. How is the outlook for my other favorite Spanish whites - the verdejos of Rueda? Albeit, that is probably gist for another thread.

[Brian Murdock]

I'm glad you like albariños too John. And you're right, the prices are still basically reasonable. Even though they are considered in Spain to be some of the most expensive white wine around, you can find many (in a store at least) between probably 7 and 15 euros. Their prices skyrocketed in the first few years of success, but they seem to have leveled off.

Rueda is even a better deal. These whites have become the standard in bars in Madrid, so they are easy to find. I'll keep you posted when I have something specific.

[Rogelio]

By the way, the D.O. in July rated last year's (2005) vintage as "Excellent", so keep that in mind for your next purchase.

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Don't trust the D.O. ratings, surprisingly you'll never find a bad vintage acording to them.

I'm afraid that for whta I have tasted the 2005 vintage has been rather normal due to the extremely hot year that it was.

[docsconz]

By the way, the D.O. in July rated last year's (2005) vintage as "Excellent", so keep that in mind for your next purchase.

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Don't trust the D.O. ratings, surprisingly you'll never find a bad vintage acording to them.

I'm afraid that for whta I have tasted the 2005 vintage has been rather normal due to the extremely hot year that it was.

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Even if the albarinos from 2005 are only "normal", they will still be good wines and at a price that make them a good accompaniment to many foods, especially fish and shellfish. Which are your favorite producers? So far I have only seen a smattering of bottlings in the US, the most common of which is probably Burgans. Morgadio has consistently been amongst my favorites.

[Rogelio]

Which are your favorite producers? So far I have only seen a smattering of bottlings in the US, the most common of which is probably Burgans. Morgadio has consistently been amongst my favorites.

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The usual suspects are Pazo de Señorans (selección de añada), Lusco, Fillaboa, Santiago Ruiz, Fefiñanes... depending on the vintage high variability.

And all of them are worth waiting a year or two to be drunk, as they develop more complex flavours.

[Brian Murdock]

That's a very good point Rogelio, and one to keep in mind also. Many years ago the D.O.'s were quite frank about their results, but recently nothing seems to go wrong. Ratings have been nothing but positive from nearly all the D.O.s in the last ten years, and even though viticultural techniques have improved vastly, the excessively optimistic reviews can raise suspicion. So, I agree with you, one should be wary, though I'm not sure I'd go as far as to say not to trust them altogether. The poor guys, I'm sure some of them must be telling the truth!

I think they give you a general idea of how things went and, of course, what the individual winery does with the grapes is a whole other matter.

It's when they get down to the "Buena" rating (which is third behind "muy buena" and "excelente") that I get a little more suspicious. You no longer see the "regular" or "mala" ratings. They would be commercial suicide! In fact, nowadays "buena" almost seems to suggest "not so hot".

By the way, can anyone tell me how to quote another post? Thanks!

[Rogelio]

By the way, can anyone tell me how to quote another post?  Thanks!

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Click on the ""reply square on the right bottom of the post.

[Brian Murdock]

By the way, can anyone tell me how to quote another post?  Thanks!

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Click on the ""reply square on the right bottom of the post.

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I'm just testing here. Thanks Rogelio!

[vserna]

I was pretty skeptical about this optimism from the start, but I can now confirm: large quantity, lots of overripeness, low aromatric contents of grapes - the 2006 vintage will be markedly inferior to 2005 in Rías Baixas.

BTW - this thread belongs on the Wine forum, not here.

[Brian Murdock]

I was pretty skeptical about this optimism from the start, but I can now confirm: large quantity, lots of overripeness, low aromatric contents of grapes - the 2006 vintage will be markedly inferior to 2005 in Rías Baixas.

BTW - this thread belongs on the Wine forum, not here.

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My apologies Victor, you are exactly right. I didn't even realize there was a wine forum. I sort of leapt right to the Spain & Portugal section without looking elsewhere. So, I will keep that in mind in the future.

As for the report, I was only conveying what the Consejo Regulador had reported, but your observations are certainly very interesting.

Edited September 19, 2006 by Brian Murdock (log)

[pedro]

Note from the host: Don't worry for the location of this thread --or Rueda's, for that matter. They will eventually moved to the wine forum once they're fleshed out some more.

[Brian Murdock]

I was pretty skeptical about this optimism from the start, but I can now confirm: large quantity, lots of overripeness, low aromatric contents of grapes - the 2006 vintage will be markedly inferior to 2005 in Rías Baixas.

I was mulling over these comments and decided to rummage through some of the reports from the last couple of weeks. Harvest time can be quite unpredictable, and the situation can change during this crucial stage. Grapes can be very sensitive creatures!

In any event, from what I could find, so far things still look bright. The size of the harvest is enormous, that is true. The largest in history. Often that is a negative sign because it means lower quality per grape, but nowadays that doesn't necessarily have to be true. In addition, these figures can be misleading because Rias Baixas has increased its number of vineyards over the last few years in the hopes of meeting increased demand abroad.

But the Consejo Regulador and several wineries, up until a few days ago at least, continued to express optimism about the quality, and one winery even expected it to be similar to last year's. Terras Gauda actually made a point of it to mention that the grapes were especially aromatic.

It is true, though, that many of the most positive outlooks seem to come from the O Rosal sub-region of the D.O. and that is important because Rías Baixas is made up of several subzones whose climates may result in a noticeable difference in results. I haven't found as much on the Val do Salnés sub-region. Maybe people are emphacizing the bright points and silencing the weaker side. I also know that grape acidity is lower and that can sometimes kill the crispness of white wine.

So, I get the feeling Victor may be right in that the harvest may not be up there with last year's in terms of quality, but I think I'll wait for more news to come out...

...and while I'm waiting, enjoy some wine.

Edited September 20, 2006 by Brian Murdock (log)

[pedro]

Brian, generally speaking, I wouldn't trust that much the information coming from the Consejos Reguladores. They are an interested party --simply take a look to the classification for the last ten years-- and they tend to overrate the ratings.

[Brian Murdock]

Absolutely, Pedro. I mentioned that very point in an earlier post on this thread (see post # 7); In this case, I had taken some information from other sources which I have found to be a little more reliable, but even they may be wrong. Who knows?

In any event, I see many of you are extremely suspicious of these ratings. I tend to be less so...though I agree they are often inflated. An "excelente" may or may not be as "excellent" as they say, and a "buena" should be regarded with serious reservations. That's what happened to D.O. Rioja's 1997 vintage, I believe.

Edited September 20, 2006 by Brian Murdock (log)

[vserna]

I'm a winegrower. I never trust anyone but other winegrowers when discussing harvest quality - and I don't mean their press releases, but their actual comments with no spin to them. So I can say with solid certainty: 2005 was better than 2006 in Rías Baixas.

[Brian Murdock]

I know who you are, Victor, and very much respect your opinions and your expertise. I never said the 2006 was going to be as good or better than the 2005, only that it was going to be abundant, and supposedly high in quality. That's how I began this thread. Actually the first news I got about this year's harvest came in August from good friend of mine who grows Albariño grapes outside of Caldas de Reis. He is actually family, so when we talk about these things, there is no spinning involved. We talk about beehives and licor de hierbas with the same natural informality as we do wine, and he told me himself that he expected the production to be high (which it is) and the quality to be up there (which it may or may not be). Just a grapegrower with a straightforward opinion. Now, he may be wrong, but I think you would agree that it would have been improper to disregard his opinion.

In any event, as a person interested in this subject, I feel it is my duty to be thorough in my research and cover as many angles as possible, and that includes taking into consideration what the official line is. I think we all agree that the Consejo Reguladores are not to be trusted for obvious reasons (and I certainly try not to base my opinions soley on press reports), but we shouldn't paint them as Ministries of Misinformation. They can be surpringly candid and self-critical at times...though probably not as often as they should!

Anyway, I very much appreciate your input. It seems certain, from what you say, that we can expect lesser things from the 2006 harvest.

Edited September 20, 2006 by Brian Murdock (log)

[pedro]

Have the fires that have extensively punished Galizia during the summer had any effects in the harvest?

[Brian Murdock]

Some of vineyards were directly affected by the fires (I don't know how many, but I don't think too many were affected). I think the D.O. said (if you'll accept the reference ) that the heat and smoke from the fires may have contributed to a kind of greenhouse effect which prevented nighttime temperatures from lowering enough and, thus, accelerated the ripening of the grapes. If that was a factor, then we could say that the fires contributed in some areas to the early harvest, but once again, I don't have confirmation on that.

What I don't know, and I admit I'm ignorant on this point, is how the smoke (from distant or nearby fires) might affect the characteristics of the grape itself (i.e. aromas, flavors, etc.), if at all. Does anyone have an answer to that?

Edited September 21, 2006 by Brian Murdock (log)

[filipe]

Why don't you guys try portuguese Alvarinhos ? ... there's more land beyond Spain ...

[docsconz]

Why don't you guys try portuguese Alvarinhos ? ... there's more land beyond Spain ...

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Portuguese Alvarinhos can be excellent as well and certainly are not to be disregarded. I believe that Brian's particular expertise is with the wines of Spain, which is why I believe they has been discussed so far. Filipe, do you have any sense of the Alvarinho harvest and quality in Portugal this year? Any suggestions for particular wineries and vineyards?

[filipe]

Filipe, do you have any sense of the Alvarinho harvest and quality in Portugal this year? Any suggestions for particular wineries and vineyards?

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Far from being an expert, but I'll do some research and I'll share it. It seems that this year has been a good year in general, not just in the north of Portugal where Alvarinho is produced.

About particular wineries... I've discovered one of the best Alvarinhos I've ever tasted this last summer, almost by a random choice (this label looks fine, let's try it...) Got 2 or 3 bottles at home, so I'll tell you its name/origin later, as I can't remind it right now.