Rias Baixas, the region in Galicia in Northwestern Spain, is widely known for its Albariño. Paella is not traditionally from there but from Valencia but that said, I was in the mood for Paella with shrimp and that’s how the pairing came about.

I’ve never been to the region but it’s on my list and both the food and the wines are quite impressive. Some 99% of all wine produced in the region is made with Albariño, although 12 varieties are permitted. With five different sub-zones across 4000 hectares that make up the region, there is variation among the wines but also a similarities in terms of quality level and style.

The wine pictured above was a sample I received as part of the #winewp group from Rias Baixas Wines.

The wine is from Bodegas Castro Martin, owned and managed by the family that bought it in 1981. Domingo Martin-Morales bought the bodega in 1981 and it is now managed by his daughter Angela Martin Serantes. She is the winemaker. The family were the first in the region to use stainless steel tanks.

The winery is located in the Val do Salnés, the largest of the five sub-zones which is in the northern half of the region and features the most coastline. Therefore the coolest and dampest of the five. Some 2/3 of production of all Albariño come from this region. The soils are alluvial on a bedrock of granite with some quartz.

Rias Baixas gets 67 inches of rain a year which makes the area very green and gives it the nickname of “Green Spain.” The constant presence of the Atlantic Ocean helps to moderate hot temperatures and allows for cooling of the grapes.

The wine spent time on its lees as do many in the area now. I really liked the texture, the beautiful acidity and minerality and the soft peach aromas I found in the wine.

It was a nice pairing with my Paella but I think it would go well with almost anything, certainly all seafood and pasta dishes, as an aperitif before dinner too. It is imported by Frederick Wildman and is around $18-$19 a bottle according to wine-searcher.

Paella is a Spanish seafood and rice dish from Valencia. I found this recipe on Cooking Light by someone name Julia Levy but I modified it a bit and realized as I was making it that Paella in some ways is both a rustic and an elegant dish. I made it improvising and changing items as I went which made me think it was something one could put together easily and that was how it was created.

I’ve always thought it to be a very festive dish and therefore never focused on the ease of the cooking although I own my own paella dish bought in Valencia. I love getting paella at Sevilla in the village, an old family haunt.

What you need for Shrimp with Paella Recipe: