Looking For A Great Albariño/Alvarinho?

Let the WineAlign Critics help you find the Right Wine for the Right Price, Right Now!

Get Your Free Access Now

Top 5 Albariño/Alvarinho at the LCBO

Find the BEST wines in YOUR price range

  • Over 155,000 wines reviewed and ranked
  • Reviews from Canada's top professional wine critics
  • Articles by Canada's best wine writers
Start drinking better wine now

Latest Articles

Buyer’s Guide to Vintages January 10th Release


Annual Smart Buys; The Recipe for Value, and Crozes Hermitage in the Spotlight By John Szabo MS, with notes from David Lawrason, Michael Godel, Sara d’Amato and Megha Jandhyala “Smart Buys” is the Vintages January 10 release theme, the focus of the first release of the year for as long as I can remember. There […] More

The Wine Thieves: Crozes Hermitage In Conversation with Daphné Chave & David Combiere


Its’ syrah-o’clock somewhere and the Wine Thieves are back to unlock the secrets of the northern Rhone’s largest appellation where syrah takes many shapes: Crozes-Hermitage. But it’s really a tale of two crozes, two very distinct parts. There’s what growers refer to as the northern half of Crozes-Hermitage to the north of the imposing hill […] More

Buyer’s Guide to Vintages December 20th Release


Cramming for Christmas By David Lawrason, with notes from John Szabo MS, Michael Godel, Sara d’Amato and Megha Jandhyala We tasted a day early, gathered our picks a day early, and wrote and proofed this newsletter a day early — all so we could publish three days earlier than normal and give you more time […] More

All Articles

National Wine Awards of Canada

Canada's premier wine awards. In 2022, 24 judges tasted over 1,900 wines from 250 wineries across the country to identify Canada's top wines.

National Wine Awards of Canada

Exchange Wine Club Subscription

The Exchange delivers an exclusive curated, mixed case of top quality wines directly to your door once a quarter. Mixed, All Red and All White options.

Exchange Wine Club Subscription



Albariño/Alvarinho

Albariño is the primary grape used to make dry white wine in the Rias Baixas (Lower Inlets) section of the Galicia region of Northwestern Spain. Considered by many to be Spain's premier quality white wine, Albariño is also known in Portugal as Alvarinho and often used as a component of Vinho Verde. Weather conditions in the Rias Baixas are generally cool, windy and rainy. Vines must be trained high and open to allow winds to dry them out and avoid the ongoing threat of rot, mildew and other fungal diseases. Notably, Albariño grapes develop thick skins here, contributing to their intense aromas. Typically, wines made from Albariño are very aromatic, often described as having scents of almonds or almond paste, apples, peaches, citrus, and flowers or grass. Albariño wines are particularly suited to seafood due to their bracing acidity - which some producers have tempered with extra roundness, by aging the wines on lees, giving them a fuller texture. This grape's inherent tartness should be embraced in youth, for wines made from albariño do not age well, and the vibrant aromas begin to noticeably fade within months of bottling.