About a decade ago, Albariño went from obscurity to must-have on any serious wine list that even dabbles in Spain. Small wonder: It’s a lovely and accessible variety that literally rolls off the tongue. But not all Albariño wines are created equal. The very best come from Rías Baixas, and the best of those are usually found in the sub-zone of Alto Salnés, which is exactly where today’s discovery was born. Here, the special combination of hard, granitic soils and Atlantic sea breezes produce a wine that is bursting with sunshine, citrus, and sea salt. It’s so refreshing that you’ll want a cold bottle on hand for the rest of the summer, and it’s priced to make that happen!
Viña Moraima is a small cooperative that was started in 2006 in the Alto Salnés. Old timers in the wine industry (ourselves included) recall when “co-op” was often synonymous with industrial-scale farming and mass-produced wines of little character. Of course there were always exceptions like the Produttori del Barbaresco, one of the world’s great wineries, but today those exceptions are more often the rule. Moraima is just 11 growers and their families, working together to make wines that are traditional and terroir-driven. Most of the growers have tiny parcels of vines, handed down over generations, that are not very commercially viable on their own. Indeed, most of them have day jobs or recently retired from day jobs, and farming is a hobby, or better yet a labor of love.
But this is not a hodge-podge operation, far from it. All of the members use super traditional, sustainable viticultural practices and every cuvée they make is a true reflection of Albariño grown on its favorite terroir. The vines are super tall, wire trained to trellises that allow for the humid coastal air to pass freely through the vines with help from the fresh sea breezes. This helps control mildew and reduces the need for chemical treatments. The space under the vine canopy is striking, most adults can easily walk through them without stooping. This is also convenient during harvest, which is by hand, where the team moves quickly through the vines to get fruit at the optimal balance of sugar and acid.
That balance is the key to showcasing terroir and maintaining freshness, which is on full display with their younger-vines cuvée, called “ABA de Trasumia.” While the centenarian vines get the full lees treatment for a more serious expression, the ABA is all about the zippy, zesty interplay of crisp fruit, crunchy acidity, and salty minerality. It is a wonderfully playful and shockingly refreshing experience, like a plunge into the Atlantic on a hot summer day. Serve it chilled in an all-purpose glass and a bevy of fresh stone fruits, yellow grapefruit, lemon-lime zest, white flowers, and grassy herbs will dance around the salty, granitic minerals and prickly acidity. It’s refreshing and balanced enough to enjoy on its own, but pair it with some fresh seafood and it really takes off. Razor clams are a local specialty in Rías Baixas; serve them with some rustic bread and lots of cold ABA Albariño and the party is on!
