Jake Bennett-Day, co-owner of Vino Gusto in Bury St Edmunds, enjoys a Spanish romance with Albariño wine

I’m sat in a ‘secret’ rooftop martini bar above a Dolce & Gabana store overlooking a super yacht harbour on the Costa del Sol. At least, I was earlier this afternoon. And please know, dear reader, that I am lucky enough to be in such a position thanks to the generosity and hospitality of my hosts. The wine trade does afford the occasional privilege of travel to amazing places, but they’re usually on planet earth.

The wine list here is dodgy. A ‘Petit Chablis 1er Cru’ (doesn’t exist – a wine from Chablis cannot be both ‘Petit Chablis and Premier Cru – two different quality levels at opposite ends of the spectrum) from an undisclosed producer, never mind vintage, for €120? I’ll pass, thanks. But cast an eye further down the menu, beyond the internationally recognised regions and grape varieties, and hidden is a short selection of Albariño’s that do indeed whet my appetite. Not only because I love the variety, but because they are inexplicably well priced, considering our surroundings.

Albariño is certainly going through a popularity spike, riding the wave of excitement for cool climate, indigenous wines that deliver bracing freshness with intense flavours. It is the perfect crisp, sunny afternoon aperitif, or is equally at home with indulgent and fragrant seafood paella. Made in a richer style with some oak (albeit atypical), it can be a brilliant Chardonnay alternative that would convince even my mother-in-law to drink outside of Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc with a roast chicken.

For years, Spanish wine has unfairly been considered rather monolithically outside of trendy, wine forward establishments or publications. Cava, Sherry and Rioja all get the nod, but only in very recent years have the great wines of arguably Europe’s most diverse wine producing county been added to the wider conversation. Albariño has certainly been the most important modern classic Spanish wine, helping to open the door for other indigenous varieties and less commercially important regions to appear on restaurant wine lists and shop shelves. These wines often massively over deliver on quality and excitement, and very rarely break the bank. Though there are a few top producers who have recently learnt how to charge properly for their craft, even these incredibly fine wines are comparatively well priced among the traditional, classic wines of Europe.

Albariño can be grown in all Galician Denominación de Origen’s, but it is most at home in the Atlantic battered Rías Baixas, in the very north-west of Spain. So, it’s not exactly the local juice here on the Costa del Sol (approximately 1,000km away), but it’s certainly the antidote to the fierce sunshine. The Atlantic Ocean has always been a source of inspiration for stories, myths and legends, and its magic also influences the land behind the sea, producing wines of vigour and energy, which is what I love most about Albariño. The best examples are as pure at glacial water and highly strung, like a racehorse pushing at the starting stall. Explosive freshness is paramount, and salinity is expected. If I dream of Albariño, it’s tantalisingly tangy like a vinous Margherita, garnished with lime. Though there are a few subzones of Rías Baixas that make a slightly rounder, fleshier style with a little more apricot and peach flavour, they still have an innate spike and verve. If it’s not explosive, I’m not interested.

If you’re still reading, you’ll likely be interested in which Albariño in particular has got me feeling all romantic about the variety. Well, the honest truth is, I don’t know. Like the inconspicuous ‘Petit Chablis 1er Cru’, the producer was suspiciously missing from the detail and honestly, I was having too much fun in the sun to bother asking. But wow, I could taste it.

So, how will I best replicate the romance at home? I can’t do much about the autumnal turn, Javelin on Abbeygate Street doesn’t have a secret martini bar above their boutique (that I am aware of. . .), and I haven’t seen many super yachts on the River Lark (though curiously, I have had paella on a private roof terrace overlooking the Abbey Gardens. It’s who you know. . .).

There aren’t many wines on our shelves that transport me in the way that Terra de Asorei ‘Pazo Torrado’ Albariño does. This wine sits nicely in my sweet spot. It’s a bit of a workhorse wine that ticks all of the boxes I look for in a classic Albariño. With lemony, salty, zesty drive of a classical, lean Rias Baixas Albariño, backed up by depth and richness, it’s a perfect all-rounder. Behind the bright citrus there is a little softening peach and blossom, giving the wine structure and power. A brilliant seaside aperitif, but if garlic prawns are on the menu, you're in for a treat.

Jake Bennett-Day is co-owner and director of Vino Gusto wine shop, 27 Hatter Street, Bury St Edmunds IP33 1NE

Call 01284 771831

Visit www.vinogusto.co.uk