Tasting note
A noble sweet Albariño from the Rías Baixas that defies every expectation of a dessert wine. Brothers Robustiano and Baldomero Fariña, based in the Val do Salnés, cultivate their vines on sandy granite using a pergola training system – west-facing towards the Atlantic, cooled by afternoon breezes, ripening slowly. The result is a dessert wine that floats more lightly than many a dry white.
- Colour & appearance
- Sparkling straw yellow with golden and greenish reflections – clear, bright, inviting.
- Nose
- Explosively fresh rather than sweet and heavy: mango, cantaloupe melon and passion fruit form the exotic core, framed by a citrus orchestra of lemon, lime and yuzu. Behind this lies a cool, maritime note, along with coriander, lemongrass, mint and lemon balm – almost Far Eastern, accompanied by yellow blossoms. An aperitif bouquet of unusual aromatic depth.
- Palate
- The natural sweetness meets a high, almost Riesling-like acidity – and loses. Grapefruit provides tart counterpoints, while everything remains juicy, crisp and feather-light. At just 8% vol., a tension arises between fruit and freshness that knows nothing of stickiness or honeyed weight.
- Finish
- Long, clear, bright: fine Nashi pear allows the wine to fade out elegantly, without the sweetness ever having the final word.
- Terroir & origin
- Val do Salnés, the heart of the Rías Baixas. Small plots situated between 100 and 400 metres in altitude, with vines up to 60 years old, deeply rooted in sandy granite soils. The pergola protects against the sun and ensures ventilation in this rain-rich region – Atlantic breezes provide crisp acidity.
- Grape variety & vinification
- A single-varietal Albariño, vinified as a noble sweet wine – part of the experimental Sitta series, with which the Fariñas (alongside oenologist Jean-François Hébrard) demonstrate that Albariño can do more than just fresh and zesty.
- Food recommendations
- The sweet-and-sour dynamic loves a counterpart: foie gras, spicy blue cheese such as Cabrales, Thai curry with chilli and lemongrass or Sichuan cuisine. Also an event on its own alongside citrus tart or mango sorbet.
- Special features
- A noble sweet wine that consistently conceals its sweetness behind freshness – this Atlantic coolness in dessert wine format is unique in Spain. The handy 500 ml bottle makes it the ideal finale to a dessert for two.
