Colinas de Uruguary Albariño 2016

Colinas de Uruguay Albariño 2016, Uruguay

(from £8, Sainsbury’s) 

This refreshing Uruguayan Albariño was my wine pairing on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen for Freddy Bird’s wonderful squid and carabineros prawns with bomba rice and aioli.

It may seem an odd choice – but bear with me.

Freddy’s a big fan of Spanish and Mediterranean cooking, as is clear from his hearty, flavoursome dish, which is a bit like a cross between paella and posh seafood risotto.

The Albariño grape variety is a brilliant match for this kind of seafood dish. Typically, it’s grown in north-west Spain (Galicia). But this version is from Uruguay, also an area not far from the refreshing influence of the Atlantic Ocean, and which delivers just that extra bit of roundness and intensity to the wine. That means it can stand up really well to the richness of that lovely aioli.

‘That’s amazing,’ enthused Freddy in studio. ‘This is more peachy, less minerally than what you’d expect from Galicia as you’ve got more sunshine.’ Fellow chef Paul Foster noted how well it stood up to the garlic.

It’s a great match – something a bit different from the norm. And it’s great value too. Alternatively, if you want to go down a different route but still stick to a Spanish theme, try a Godello from Galicia.

(Peter, 7/10, July 2017)