Paschal pairing is pure poetry
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For my lunch on this Good Friday a fish dish seemed appropriate, and I won’t have been alone today in selecting a platter of Merluza al Horno — Atlantic hake baked in a cream and mustard sauce — as it is one of the fish most commonly used in Spanish cuisine, with 6kg of it consumed annually for every person in the country.
As a pairing partner I chose the ever-reliable Martín Codáx Albariño from the denomination of Rías Baixas in Galicia in the far northwest of the Iberian peninsula.
Bodega Martín Codáx, Rías Baixas
This coastal appellation stretches along 60 miles of the Atlantic from just south of Santiago de Compostela to the border with Portugal and is unsurprisingly the rainiest wine region in Spain, with mist and fog from the sea rolling across the low-lying river estuaries that give the region its name adding to the cool climate which helps the white Albariño grapes maintain mouth-watering acidity. The area is prized for crisp, fresh and aromatic white wines which partner perfectly with the top quality fish and shellfish for which Galicia is rightly feted.
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Bodegas Martín Códax is situated only 3km from the sea at the coastal town of Cambados and was established in 1986 by 270 members with a cooperative philosophy within the comarca of the Salnés Valley. They work collaboratively with some 300 local families who grow and supply the grapes from vines tamed at head height to protect them from the moist soil. From then the wine elaboration is under the direction of the winemakers, agricultural engineer Katia Álvarez, and Luciano Amoedo, a ninth generation family winemaker and one of the founders of the Rías Baixas appellation.
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The winery takes its name from the 13th century Galician troubadour Martín Codáx, the best known bard of the region whose medieval poems and songs are paeans to love, the sea and the local coastline. Thanks to 21st century technology, we can still appreciate his musical compositions and discover that seven hundred years’ passage of time has not diminished the beauty of a maiden’s chant as she awaits her lover.
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Martín Codáx is a balanced and flinty wine, pale lemon in colour with green hues, with citrus on the nose (including a wee touch of mandarin) as well as the apple notes typically found in wines of the region, with a floral, herbaceous background. It has more body than many wines of the same varietal, more rounded than sharp, with a long, citrus finish. Not for nothing is it my go-to Albariño: although best matched to seafood it has sufficient fullness and character to merit enjoying as a refreshing glass on its own.
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As well as being delicious, this wine is uncommonly good value and can currently be found in the United Kingdom for under £10 from online merchants, a little more in Ireland and around $13 in the USA, which brings it into the realm of an affordable everyday treat even when not spending what’s left over on some Easter chocolate indulgence. Or perhaps another bottle…
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Wishing everyone health and a happy Easter.
Or as they say in Galician, ¡Saúde e feliz Pascua!
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Bodega: Martín Codáx
Vintage: 2018
Varietal: 100% Albariño
Denomination: Rías Baixas
Alcohol: 13%
