Godello On the Mountain

Alright, I admit "Go-dello on the mountain" is about as bad of a pun as it gets (especially since it's pronounced "go-day-o"). After all, we're well passed Christmas and I'm hardly spending my Sunday mornings singing gospel in church. I might have used "Waiting for Godello" but that's been used before. I guess I'm just at a bit of a loss because, before this wine, I couldn't have told you a darned thing about Godello wine. In fact, to be honest, I'm not so sure, even now, that I can say a whole lot when it comes to the greater scheme of things.

Before doing a little research into the wine, I wouldn't have known if Godello was a grape, a region, a winery's proprietary name or something else altogether. As it turns out, I have another varietal to add to my application for the Wine Century Club.

723. 2009 Bodegas Adria - Vega Montan Godello (D.O. Bierzo - Spain)

A white varietal, Godello is fairly particular to North-Western Spain - although the Gouveio grape that is grown in Portugal is thought to be the same grape. Not that I've ever seen a Gouveio wine. Indeed, Godello is so identified with its Spanish home that it was almost extinct thirty years ago. No one was growing it except for a few vintners; however, as the Bierzo region has gained a higher profile in the international wine scene, the grape has seen a slow resurgence as the primary white grape in the district.

Godello is thought to have a taste profile that is similar to the Albarino grape - a varietal that is grown in near-by regions and has also become more popular with the wine cognoscenti over the last so many years. Due to the inhospitable lands and mountainside socks and soil that most of the Bierzo vineyards are located in, the vines' roots need to burrow deep into the mountainside for nourishment. Accordingly, the resulting wine is often seen as having a distinct minerality. Some wine lovers search for such a quality but I can see how such a profile won't be everyone's cup of tea - or glass of wine.

Some winemakers have taken to aging at least part of their Godello wine in oak. Bodegas Adria has an oaked Godello as well; however, this wine is aged only in stainless steel. I'd be a little afraid to go with the oak version.

I don't see Godello replacing my Riesling on a regular basis. Then again, I doubt it's going to be a wine that we see regularly on our local shelves. It's great to run across wines like this though as discovery has got to be a big part of any Odyssey, doesn't it?

It's no doubt a good thing we tried this wine before the upcoming Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival. With Spain being this year's regional focus, I'm sure going to know a whole lot more about any Godellos that I may happen to run across than I would have otherwise. Now, how many folks are going to be able to top that?