While Spain is usually associated with red wine, the Galicia region is gaining attention for its critically acclaimed whites. To drive west from Madrid to Galicia is like going from dry, desert-like lands to a lush, tropical rainforest. Likewise, the wines here are the opposite of everything you’ve ever thought about Spanish wine. Rather than the potent reds like the garnet-hued Ribera del Dueros or the earthy, scarlet colored Riojas, the wines from the Rias Baixas area are light and sharp.

These wines are technically white, but if you look closely into your glass, you’re likely to see greenish flecks. Interestingly, the white wines of northern Portugal, which is just a few miles south of the Rias Baixas are called "vinho verde" or green wine. The color and, indeed, the vibrance of these wines stem from the bright green Albarino grapes from which they are made.

While the Rias Baixas is a complex and multifaceted growing region, the premier grape variety is Albarino. Its greenish, thick skin allows it to weather the cool, rainy and humid growing conditions of this coastal region. It is also a versatile grape that can be found growing in high-acid, granite-heavy earth (which makes for a more mineral-flavored and structured wine) or sandy soils (which yields a softer, rounder wine).

Rias Baixas is composed of five sub-regions: Ribeira do Ulna and Val do Salnes in the north, Sotomaior in the middle, and O Rosal and Condado do Tea in the south, close to Portugal’s border. Some winemakers produce blended wines using Treiadura or Loureira grapes along with the Albarino. However, about 95 percent of production is made from Albarino grapes, and if a label has Albarino on it, it must be 100 percent.

Due to their southern location, Condado do Tea and Sotomaior tend to make riper and richer wines that are also low in acidity. In the Val do Salnes, the climate is cooler and wetter, so wines made exclusively with local fruit tend to be crisper on the palate. However, since many big wineries and cooperatives buy grapes from different parts of the denomination, such distinctions are often blurred.

What the wines of the Rias Baixas all have in common is a particular energy. According to one wine critic, their aromas "bring to mind everything that grows with leaves, from apricots and peaches to white flowers." Another commented that these wines contain a bright acidity and feel as cool to the mouth as "morning dew on grass."

Critics agree that nothing is a better match for the fish, clams and shrimp that are bountiful in this region as well as here in New England. A cold glass of Albarino wine paired with a seafood dish is a perfect way to toast the waning days of summer.