Albariño
Alvarinho (Portuguese pronunciation: [alvɐˈɾiɲu]) or Albariño (Galician pronunciation: [alβaˈɾiɲʊ]) is a variety of white wine grape grown in Northwest Portugal (Monção and Melgaço) and Galicia (northwest Spain) where it is also used to make varietal white wines. In Portugal it is known as Alvarinho, and sometimes as Cainho Branco, Albariño is the Galician name for the grape.
| Alvarinho / Albariño | |
|---|---|
| Grape (Vitis) | |
Bunch of Alvarinho /Albariño grapes | |
| Color of berry skin | Blanc |
| Species | Vitis vinifera |
| Also called | Alvarinho and other synonyms |
| Origin | Portugal and Galicia |
| Notable regions | Minho, Portugal; Galicia, Spain |
| Notable wines | Vinho Verde (Vinho Alvarinho), Rías Baixas |
| VIVC number | 15689 |
It was presumably brought to Iberia by Cluny monks in the twelfth century but recent studies point to Alvarinho/albariño being native to Portugal/Galicia. Both the Portuguese "Alvarinho" and Galician name "Albariño", derive from albo<albus, meaning "white, whitish". It has locally been thought to be a Riesling clone originating from the Alsace region of France, although earliest known records of Riesling as a grape variety date from the 15th, rather than the 12th, century. It is also theorized that the grape is a close relative of the French grape Petit Manseng.
It should not be confused with the Alvarinho Lilás grape of Madeira.