Sendero das Meigas Albariño 2020

To Master of Wine Jancis Robinson, it’s “one of the most exciting and vibrant white wines.” In Spain, they call it Albariño; Alvarinho in Portugal. Whatever you call it, we love its intense aromas and flavors of zingy citrus, perfectly peach and tropical-fruit flavor.

The catch? The only place Albariño fully expresses itself is the northwestern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The most famous examples are from Spain’s storm-lashed Rías Baixas region, which can be hard to get your hands on and often cost a pretty penny.

But those great Albariño conditions—the sea spray, the hard rock surfaces—don’t care about human geography. Just over the border in northern Portugal, Alvarinho grows just as well. The Guardian calls it “the true celebrity in these parts…a wine that blurs borders.”

Hugely talented Spanish winemaker Juan-Antonio Leza (below) long enjoyed the stand-outs on either side of the Mino River (the natural border between Spain and Portugal). Then he had a radical idea that would break all kinds of rules and deliver a sensational wine in the glass: What if Rías Baixas and north Portugal joined forces?

In fact, it’s been done before—a long, long time ago. According to the region’s winemaking tradition, brave souls would take the Sendero das Meigas (the Witch’s Path), a secret route used to smuggle grapes between the two countries.

To make his own Sendero das Meigas, Juan-Antonio selected wonderfully aromatic fruit from the exceptional 2021 vintage and blended it with equally pristine fruit from a top estate across the border. The final wine brims with ripe peach, citrus and tropical fruit, underpinned by that trademark hint of sea salt.

Take the road less traveled and order this unique, gorgeous wine.