Last night was Moxie’s birthday dinner at The Melting Pot fondue restaurant.  After perusing the menu and deciding on going the whole hog 4 course extravaganza I needed a white to pair with the cheese course.    Apparently every Wednesday night is half price wine on bottles costing less than $40.  I scanned the wine menu and was impressed with the offerings and prices.  Seems most bottles were in the more palatable 2X retail range rather than the more obnoxious 3X that most restaurants deem is fair for a bottle of wine.  I digress…

I picked this Spanish Albarino from the Rias Baixas region and was rewarded with a delicious, chilled bottle that hit every note I asked of it.  Straw colored it offered up a melange of fruits and spices on the nose that were delicious to smell.  On the palate it was very true to varietal with great aromatics mingling with some peaches and dried apricots, kinda like Viognier but with far more acidity.  This wine was crisp and lithe which paired very well with our cheese.  This varietal is well planted in Spain and Portugal and is definitely one which I will be purchasing for the summer.  I can imagine  sipping this one on the patio in the evenings with some cold cuts and crudités.  I bet it would rock a baked salmon and risotto dish.  When was the last time you had an Albarino?  Retailing at about $18 I am going with 90 points and 5 stars.  I hope my local shop carries it!  Salut….

The family plus Nick’s girlfriend