Albariño is the main white variety of Galicia. It grows along the coast: it has small berries, the thick skin is full of flavours and it’s difficult to cultivate. The name of the wine region is Rías Baixas, where it is a common sight that instead of rows, stakes and metal wires, the grapes are grown on pergolas, with the bunches hanging in the partial shade. While in neighbouring Portugal (where it is called Alvarinho) lean and citrusy wines are made from the variety, here on the Spanish side, it’s defined by sweeter fruits, nectarine, grapefruit, apricot and refreshing flavours.

Eulogio Pomares is the inescapable name of the wine region, and his family estate, Zárate, brought the wine, which until the 1990s was consumed almost exclusively locally, to the highest level. They are best at making Albariño, and their new project is called Fento, for which they select grapes from a total of five hectares from growers in the area, instead of from their own land. The cultivation is organic, fermentation is started spontaneously in temperature-controlled tanks, then it rests on the lees for 6 months, and the wine is one of the nicest among the competitors of New World Sauvignon. It’s the third time that we’re adding colour to the summer with this joyful, vibrant and substantial wine. Fento: the local name for the common fern, which, next to vines, is the most common plant in vineyards.