What to drink with seafood? Albariño is its natural companion | Hannah Crosbie on drinks

This cool, textured grape that’s usually grown by the coast is an easy pairing with any catch of the day, and will also happily accompany any summer menu

It’s World Albariño Day today – 1 August. I’ve got a soft spot for arbitrary wine holidays, so I’m marking the occasion by using it as an excuse to spend the weekend guzzling one of my favourite white wines. I’ve given you notice (sort of), so off you go to your nearest independent or supermarket to pick up something racy and saline.

It used to be thought that the albariño grape was brought to Spain by the French monks of Cluny, but that has since been disproved, with no parentage between albariño and burgundian varieties. Rather, the grape is now believed to be an ancient variety that’s native to the Iberian coast, with a naturally thick skin providing resistance to the diseases a humid climate can give rise to (alvarinho is the grape’s name in northern Portugal, where it’s essential in the production of easy-to-love vinho verde).