2020 Adega Condes de Albarei Albarino Rias Baixas 750 ml

Here’s a crucial lesson we’ve learned over the years: Never overlook stellar co-op wines. Sure, they might not have the prestige of a big-name label, but they often bring just as much quality and pleasure—often at a fabulous price.

Which brings us to the 2020 Adega Condes de Albarei Albariño. Hailing from Spain’s premier white-wine region, made from the country’s signature white grape, and culled from vineyards in a subzone known as the “birthplace of Albariño,” it has everything you’d want from a classic Rias Baixas: brisk acidity, a deft combination of citrus fruit and florals, and clean minerality—all adorned with a mist of ocean spray.

Adega Condes de Albarei is a cooperative of 362 grower/owners that was founded in 1988, the same year Rias Baixas officially received its Denominación de Origen (DO) status. They hit the ground running, and just three years later won the gold medal at Bordeaux’s Challenge International du Vin—the first one ever for a Spanish white wine.

Val do Solnes, home of Condes de Albarei, is the preeminent subzone of Rias Baixas, accounting for more than 50% of the appellation’s total area under vine. Winds off the Atlantic keep the area cooler than the other subzones, but in the summer it’s warm and dry due to a weather effect known as the Azores High, an atmospheric pressure system that moves in from the west.

Meticulously cultivated in the vineyard, made from free-run juice only, and brought to fruition in the co-op’s state-of-the-art winery, the 2020 Condes de Albarei Albariño is a shining example of what’s made Rias Baixas a go-to for white-wine lovers worldwide.