Quinta de Couselo Albarino Rias Baixas 2021

The perfect marriage of wine and cuisine may actually be found in the tiny winegrowing region of Rías Baixas along the Spanish Galician coast. Basically isolated until the 90’s, miniscule family vineyards have been tended for generations with the sole purpose of pairing with the region’s inimitable seafood. 

It’s here that – in the southernmost tip of the Rías Baixas – in tiny O Rosal – that we find Quinta de Couselo where they have been making wine since the estate was acquired by Cisterian Monks in 1163. O Rosal is perfectly situated – directly across Minho from Portugal in the Southeast – but still highly influenced by the temperate maritime conditions from the Atlantic Ocean to the west. 

The newly released 2021 Albarino is phenomenal. It’s so vibrant right from the start;  it’s beaming with energy. What Couselo does best is mix in the minerality, and the saline with a creamy mid-palate – notes of lemon meringue, pineapple, mango, and green melon with the Atlantic Ocean breeze helping to give this a beauty salty, tantalizing finish that leaves you begging for another sip.