Country: Spain Region: Rias Baixas Varietal: Albarino Vintage: 2021 Colour: White Style: Dry Producer: Bodegas Pionero Mundi Description:Tucked away in the far northwest corner of Spain, this Rías Baixas defies expectations of most Spanish regions. It’s verdant and green, nestled along the Atlantic coastline of Galicia. Crisscrossed by winding rivers and intersected by fjords, upon first glance, many think it more closely resembles Ireland than it does the rest of Spain. The Viña Almirante winery is one of the most influential Bodegas in the region, whom had the foresight to start producing this grape over 70 years ago in the area of Val do Salnés. It’s name(Pionero), comes from this vision ahead of their time producing this energetic and intense wine. With Jose Estevez at its helm, he drove sales up by focusing on the international market. The story of Viña Almirante begins with Jose’s grandfather, who owned a farm in Cuba which was taken by Crasto after the revolution. The grandfather and his son fled to Spain in the 1960s. Jose grew up in Rias Baixas and though working as a labor lawyer, always loved the farm and was a very talented home winemaker for years. So talented that people kept telling him to make it his full-time vocation. In 2002, when a beautiful hillside vineyard, owned by 2 spinster sisters, came up for sale, he found a partner and bought it. This was the realization of his dream, to go back to the land stolen from his family. He said it was a scary moment to dive into this new venture but he felt propelled by his family history, his dream and his love of the land; call it fate. He now owns 35 ha of vines, all on the slopes. Jose is totally hands on, producing about 7500 cases per annum. Tasting Note:For the palate, expect notes of lemon, lime, grapefruit, pear and even a hint of beeswax. With a bit of bottle ageing, those delicious fruity flavours develop into sweeter notes of peach and apricot, and sometimes more complex notes of nuts and almond will appear. Food Matches: Seafood / Pork / Veal / Mussels