Wine of the Week

2007 Martin Codax Albarino

From: Rias Baixas, Spain

Price: $15

Serve with: Shellfish, Asian cuisine

Albarino is one of the world’s great “unknown” white-wine grapes, and this version from Martin Codax demonstrates why. It combines the full body of a chardonnay or white Rhone with the liveliness and acidity of a chenin blanc or riesling. Though it’s a dry wine, there is so much fruit — pear, lime, cherry, melon, peach — that it conveys an impression of sweetness. While one of its points of appeal is its liveliness and freshness, this is not a mere “fun” beverage but a serious, complex white wine that is fit to grace any table.