11/09/2026
When Albariño first “arrived” in Australia in the late 1980s, it wasn’t actually Albariño at all.
Spanish authorities accidentally sent the wrong cuttings to CSIRO in 1989 — and for about 20 years Aussie growers planted and bottled what they thought was the famous Spanish grape… only to discover in 2009 (via DNA testing) that it was actually Savagnin, a French variety from the Jura.
Cue the great Aussie wine identity crisis! Hundreds of hectares had to be relabelled, and true Albariño had to be imported all over again.
Today Albariño thrives in the Hunter Valley, which is why we love working with itI Have you had a Little Albariño lately?
https://thelittlewinecompany.com.au/product/2025-albarino