The albarino is increasingly being recognized as one of the world's finest grapes for making fine white wines, and one of the reasons is the consistency, quality and wide availability of wines from the large Martin Codax winery. This wine is both full-flavored and crisply dry — a challenging combination. The intense flavors include pears, lemon, nuts, herbs and minerals — with a little hint of honey. For a white wine, it has some of the swagger of a bold red. This wine often appears on restaurant wine lists, where it's a good choice if less than two years old.

From: Rias Baixas, Galicia, Spain

Price: $15

Serve with: Shellfish, light-fleshed fish