Friday, April 23, 2021

My virtual trip to Rias Baixas #WorldWineTravel

This month for our World Wine Travel event Linda of My Full Wine Glass invited us to join her on a virtual trip to Galacia, known as Green Spain.  You can learn more in her Preview Post. Some participants were  sent a wonderful flight of wines along with a luggage tag and ticket for the trip from sponsor Gregory + Vine.


Rias Baixas

Come along with us as we get onto the bus........
Rias Baixas

I nearly missed my flight but I got to the bus just in time where we gathered with Eva, Debra and Rich who were going to share their knowledge of this gorgeous area of Spain and the wines and foods that they offer.

Rias Baixas

image from vineyards.com

We rode through gorgeous, green landscape ending at Martin Codax Winery located right on the Atalantic Ocean.  Here we learned that 99% of the grapes they grow (96%) is white Albrino.  They grow these on pergolas set 5-7 feet above the ground to help prevent mildew as the area is so wet.

Rias Baixas

We opened this bottle and I found it to be a little musky on the nose.  My first sip was a pleasant surprise.   Mild and lemony.  It was effervescent which I find to be charactrerstic of Albarino.  This vineyard, being on the Atlantic Ocean has a terroir of granite and sand.  It is filled with salinity.  


asiago/artichoke dip with crackers


I had picked up some asiago/artichoke dip while at the market to snack on during the trip.  The food gave the Albarino a fuller feel in the mouth.

Rias Baixas

Our next stop was at Bodega Fillaboa located inland bordering Portugal.  These grapes still benefit from the Atlantic breeze.  This wine smells of citrus and grass.  It is tart and medium bodied, more buttery than the Martin Codax.  This wine is aged for 6 months and comes from a warmer, drier region.  

Rias=Sea and Galicias is filled with Shellfish Farms when we stopped for our virtual lunch we were served up fresh oysters.  I can't think of a better pairing with these wines.  It made me wish that I had picked some up instead of my cheese dip.  Or sushi....I think sushi would be perfect with these wines.


Rias Baixas

The last stop on our trip was actually the first sip I tried before we ever got on the bus. I cheat sometimes LOL.  Bodegas Robalino is pale gold, very grassy and smooth.  It, too, screams for oysters or cold shrimp.  

After we returned home from our virtual trip, I still had 3 bottles of wine that were opened and we were leaving the next day for a real life vacation.  We called our neighbors, Frank popped some popcorn and we visited and shared the remaining wine with them.  It was very interesting to all of us how very different these wines made from the same grape were.  It was a great lesson in how the terroir and the method of wine making influences the finished product.  

We are going to be talking more about this trip on Saturday at 11 AM ET on Twitter Chat following #WorldWineTravel.  Just like the different terroirs affect the wine so, too, do different palates.  It will be interesting to read all the different tasting notes and food pairings that we tried.  Please join us.

Here are the topics we will be discussing.......





14 comments:

  1. I absolutely love the way you described your "trip"! What fun. And that Asiago artichoke dip sounds killer.

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  2. I was so sad to miss the actual trip, but happy to be able to access the playback. What a fun trip. And great wines, of course. I still have the bottle of Martin Codax and might just do a popcorn tasting with it. Cheers.

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  3. Taking a virtual trip to this amazing region is some solace while we can't travel...a good warmup for when the world opens up again? Will be on the search for these in our fair city up north...

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  4. It was great traveling with you to Rías Baixas! Glad you pick up on some of the things I missed!

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    1. Thanks Steve. That is why it is so much fun reading all the posts.

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  5. I enjoyed reading your post on this super fun event. I was reminded of some of the things I missed!

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  6. Funny - I got a little muskiness on the nose of the Martin Codax Albarino too, the second time I tasted it. Wonder what that is? Love your comment about the pre-trip sip!

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  7. It's so fun to taste the wines side by side to experience those differences, right?! And so fun that you were able to share the experience with friends after the trip.

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