Albariño
| Albariño / Alvarinho | |
|---|---|
| Grape (Vitis) | |
Bunch of Alvarinho /Albariño grapes | |
| Color of berry skin | Blanc |
| Species | Vitis vinifera |
| Also called | Alvarinho and other synonyms |
| Origin | Galicia and Portugal |
| Notable regions | Minho, Portugal; Galicia, Spain |
| Notable wines | Vinho Verde (Vinho Alvarinho), Rías Baixas |
| VIVC number | 15689 |
Albariño (Galician pronunciation: [alβaˈɾiɲʊ]) or Alvarinho (Portuguese pronunciation: [alvɐˈɾiɲu]) is a variety of white wine grape grown in Galicia (northwest Spain) and in Northwest Portugal (Monção and Melgaço, Alto Minho) where it is also used to make varietal white wines. Albariño is the name for the grape in Galician. In Portugal it is known as Alvarinho, and sometimes as Cainho Branco.
It was once thought that Albariño/Alvarinho was brought to Iberia by monks from the monastery of Cluny in the twelfth century, but recent studies point to Albariño/Alvarinho being native to Galicia/Portugal. Both the Galician "Albariño" and the Portuguese "Alvarinho", derive from albo<albus, meaning "white, whitish". It has also been theorized that the grape is a close relative of the French grape Petit Manseng.
It should not be confused with Alvarinho Lilás (Madeira), Albarín Blanco (Asturias in Northern Spain), Albillo Real, Azal, Caiño Blanco (O Rosal in Galicia and Portugal), Galego Dourado, Savagnin Blanc (Galicia, France, Australia), or Verdeca (Puglia in Italy).