5 to Try: Aged Albariños

If you don’t currently have a glass of Albariño in your hand, there’s a solution to that problem. Once considered a rarity in the United States, the white wines originally from Spain and Portugal (where they’re called Alvarinho) are increasingly available nationwide. In recent years, imports from Spain’s Rias Baixas region alone climbed 17 percent. Albariños are versatile, too. In one corner, you have bright and breezy versions that you open minutes after they’ve been bottled, preferably while eating grilled seafood on a beach. 

But some of these wines can age beautifully, too. In our September/October 2026 issue, contributor Betsy Andrews explores how certain Spanish Albariños become increasingly elegant and complex over time. “Snappy and saline when young… Albariños have the acidity and minerality for maturity,” writes Andrews. “Fans compare the grape’s longevity to that of Chablis and Mosel Riesling.”

Here, five bottles from Andrews’ journey through the evolving world of aged Albariños. 

Mar de Frades Albariño Atlantico 2024

Vibrant and textured, this lively bottle features estate and purchased grapes from the Val do Salnés and Ribeira do Ulla in inland Rias Baixas. “It smacked of ocean water and green apples, but its steeliness was balanced by a mid-palate silkiness,” Andrews writes.

Fillaboa Selección Finca Monte Alto 2022

With its toasty aromas and silky texture, it would be easy to mistake this for an oak-aged white wine. But its complexity comes from how the wine was aged: resting on its lees, or spent yeast cells, for two years before release. Four years later, it has “pineapple and Asian pear flavors mingling with the lees’ brioche notes,” Andrews writes. The wine “finishes bright and clean, but texturally, it’s as mellow as a sigh.”

La Comtesse de Pazo de Barrantes 2019 

Round and creamy, this “is a serious wine,” Andrews writes. “Deep golden in color and smacking of lemon meringue, eucalyptus, and toasted nuts with a weighty body that finishes with a razor-sharp edge.” The grapes hail from old vines. And the wine is aged in oak (partially on its lees) and then concrete to develop layered flavors and textures. Its food-pairing potential is significant: try it with rich pork dishes, roasted lobster or monkfish, mushroom-studded pastas, and more.

Pazo Señorans Selección de Añanda 2015

Expressive and minerally, this Albariño comes from vines that are nearly 50 years old. It’s aged on its lees for three years and then five more in stainless steel before it’s released. “Rosy on the nose with an aroma that you can smell deep down into the glass, it offers secondary notes like dried raisins, graphite, almonds, and honey, but with a spine that you can feel at the back of your throat,” Andrews writes. 

Lagar de Besada Añada de Baladiña 2012

This aged Albariño spent 10 years resting on its lees before it was put into bottles, giving it a beautiful texture and sturdy backbone. “Reductive at first, it softens in the glass, yielding both fresh and baked apple flavors, Riesling-like petrol notes, and a shockingly long, mouthwatering finish,” Andrews writes. Its sophisticated structure makes it capable of holding its own alongside roasts and beefy fare typically reserved for red wine.