Martín Códax Albariño 2023/24, Rías Baixas

Martín Códax was named after a Galician troubadour whose medieval poems are love songs to the sea. If the soil and the sun are the main characters in the story of Albariño, then the sea is the supporting act. The wild Atlantic coastline forces growers up to high altitudes. Here, the sea tempers the climate, so it’s more cool and damp than neighbouring regions. This Albariño is Rías Baixas in a bottle. The grapes are grown in terrifyingly steep amphitheatres overlooking the waves – you can taste the salt in the air in your glass. Peachy. Citrusy. Fresh. It’s the perfect seaside wine, so it’s no surprise that it’s made for seafood – for octopus, for piles of clams and hard-won goose barnacles, a Galician speciality.