Enjoy This White Wine from Northern Spain

By Gina Trippi

Garnacha Blanca, also known as Grenache Blanc in France, indigenous to northern Spain, is a full-bodied white with intense aromas and flavors.

Generally speaking, with characteristic aromas that include Asian pear, green apple and lime zest, Garnacha Blanca could be described in a word as “green.” Flavors include honeysuckle, baked apple brioche and lemon curd.

You will also notice distinct flavors of pear, lean but lingering notes of green almonds and herbs with a touch of salty minerals and spice on the finish.

With all this going on in the bottle, Garnacha Blanca pairs with foods across the world including, not just Spanish dishes, but Asian, Indian, even Moroccan.

As we always recommend, if your recipe calls for pepper, limit the use as alcohol in any wine sends capsicum up the burn scale.

Metro Wines offers Raig de Raim. In the glass, Raig de Raim presents as a clear white wine with a pale lemon hue. Aromatic hints of apple, pear and pineapple combine with distinct floral flavors of acacia and herbs including thyme and rosemary.

Round on the palate with well-balanced acidity and lingering finish. The award winning winery, Celler Pinol, says you will find delicious success partnering this bottle with shellfish, oysters, gambas al ajillo, salade Niçoise, soft cheeses and herbed pasta salads.

Raig de Raim, is a 100% native varietal estate-bottled Garnacha Blanca from the region of Terra Alta, Catalunya, located south of Barcelona. Terra Alta’s high elevation vineyards coupled with organic viticulture produces an extraordinary wine from a lesser-known region.

The story of Celler Piñol, the winery behind Raig de Raim, reflects the rise of Spanish wines in global markets over the past decade, merging a deep respect for ancient, cherished vineyards and strong family traditions with innovative winemaking techniques to produce outstanding wines.

“We are going back to our roots, working mainly with our indigenous varieties such as Garnacha Blanco, using state of the art technology and tradition. Our wines have been awarded with scores between 90 and 95 points by Robert Parker and selected in some of the best wine guides including Jancis Robinson.”

Why is this bottle so special? In addition to being 100% of the varietal grown at its very source, Raig de Raïm Blanc is unadulterated, unblended and unoaked.

It is produced exclusively from estate fruit which allows the winery to maintain lower yields. Increasing aromatic intensity and concentration in the wine illuminates Garnacha Blanca’s well-balanced, textured acidity as well as the exotic floral and savory herbal notes that make it so unique.

This bottle, as well as all Garnacha Blanca, feels its age, so storing in a cool, dark place is essential with an outside limit of 5 years. But you won’t be waiting that long to share this enticing and versatile varietal on the porch solo or with a slightly exotic menu.

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