From a love story comes one of the finest Albarino wines from Rias Baixas, Spain. In the mid-1990s, English wine buyer, Andrew McCarthy, visited the region looking for a quality Albariño he could sell to his English customers. He met Angela Martin, winemaker for Bodegas Castro Martin, and the rest is history. A romance bloomed, and the two traveled back and forth between Spain and England until Andrew eventually relocated to Rias Baixas in 2002. Since then, the two have created one of the highest quality Albarino wines from the region, expanding to various tiers, showcasing the quality of the premium fruit and gorgeous region. These wines are light, zesty, and approachable to any palate.

From 50-year-old vineyards, grown in sand and granite-filled soils in the Salnes sub-zone of the region, Bodegas Castro Martin Family Estate Albarino ($20) is harvested and then fermented in stainless steel in their gravity-flow facility to capture the freshness of the fruit. The wine is then aged for around 6 months on the lees (yeast) which adds depth and texture to the stone fruit notes of peach, nectarine, and soft herbs lingering throughout the luscious wine.