Grape Variety: Caino Blanco

Colour:

White

Indigenous to Rias Baixas and the other parts of Galicia this grape variety grows well on steep slopes with lots of broken slate. It is a late-ripening varietal, but it still retains acidity and a strong mineral component. When combined with Albarino it lifts the aromatic citrus nature of the Albarino, giving the wine an irresistible zesty length and a rich quality. The Caino is virtually exclusive to the vineyards of Bodegas Terras Gauda and comprises 15% of the O Rosal blend (a wine that includes Albarino and Loureiro) yielding a wine that is greenish-yellow, evoking on the nose white flowers and green plums and filling out on the palate with fresh grape and apple compote flavours as well as peach kernel, edged with superb acidity and a bristling minerality (reminiscent of a really good Riesling). Terras Gauda are working on a wine made predominantly of Caino - a tank sample revealed a white with a flinty grip and sublime smokiness. We look forward to seeing this wine bottled in the 2008 vintage.