What Says Weekend Like Oysters and Albariño?

Oyster food trucks once scared me. Now? Bring them on. All of them.

I have had oysters from Salty Bottom Blue before, and they were good. They were fantastic today – and this duo made waiting for them fun.

I think Albariño is going to be my summer go-to this summer. Tons of Albariño is coming online in Virginia now – a lot of wineries began planting in the past few years after some pioneers with it had tremendous success, and I’m enjoying every tasting and sample I get.

When Fifty-Third Winery and Vineyards posted their Albariño pre-release with oysters on facebook, it was a no-brainer! Bear in mind I’ve been getting crushed at work lately – some higher stress stuff with more time needing to be put in on evenings and weekends – nothing like the job I left a few years back, but we’re definitely in crunch time right now. I wasn’t certain I’d be able to make it to this, especially with Husband’s yard and housework demands mounting. But, after a quick lunch I made the run out to Louisa all by myself to check this out.

I’ve been here once before, when I made the trek out for their barrel tasting of the 2023 vintage. That was a nice introduction to their wines, which I hadn’t had previously. They’ve got a good operation for sure. There are two spaces to enjoy your wine – one with the main tasting bar, and one with a larger space for music and a larger group. I stuck around in the main tasting room so I could hear myself think – live music and I don’t pair well in my mid-50s. Don’t get me wrong – the music was great (I listened while I waited for my oysters from the truck) I just cannot handle the volume, especially in an enclosed space. This is more about my personal preference than anything else, and I appreciate that I had alternative places to enjoy my wine.

When I got there I met with Tammy at the tasting bar. She asked me if I was there for Albariño, and that told me immediately that we’d be great friends. She immediately let me taste the Albariño, and chatted a little with me about it – seems the owner wants to hold cases back to enter it in the Governor’s Cup – and this is a good idea – Virginia seems to do well with this grape, and October One Vineyard’s Albariño scored a spot in the Governor’s Case this year. It’s become incredibly popular and will sell very quickly, I have no doubt. So this is a pre-release to whet our appetites while the winery considers next steps. Great idea.

After I finished my Albariño, Tammy asked what I wanted to do and I boldly announced, “Take a bunch home!” She let me sample a few reds – the 2021 Two Springs red blend (which was lovely – lots of cherry and a bit of oak on it), and I was particularly excited about the 2021 Cabernet Franc Reserve. I really liked this one a lot, it won a gold medal at the Governor’s Cup, but it had some lovely blackberry and maybe plum and other dark fruit to it, with very subtle oak treatment (you know I am an oak minimalist (or actually a no-oaker)). She finally let me try the Norton – which is not a grape a gravitate to in general, but this was a drinkable one.

I settled at a table and grabbed a half dozen oysters to enjoy with a glass of the Albariño. Because it was raining, they were not inundated with people so it was pleasant and I could enjoy these two great tastes that go great together. I think the Fifty-Third Albariño is simply brilliant paired with oysters – the zing of the wine really goes great with them. The 2023 Albariño is presenting right now with a ton of bright and fresh acidity (yay!) along with hints of fruits like grapefruit and lemon in it.

So four 2023 Albariño came home with me, along with two of the 2021 Cabernet Franc Reserve. If they are able to hold on to this at the tasting bar, you will really want to grab this for hot summer days – this is definitely on the top of my list right now for summer.

They’ve grown Albariño here since 2015, according to Tammy. And the vines are past budbreak right now:

So Chelsey has been working with this grape for several years and is doing great with it, and 2023 produced a great vintage of this wine for them. Can’t wait to see what these new babies showing up in the vineyard will bring in a year!

And of course Tammy and a colleague of hers loved this shirt. I’ve just done a reset on the online store so you can order them a little cheaper – you will have to wait until the sale closes for them to ship, but it makes them cheaper to order since they make them all at once. Grab one – they pair well with wine in the woods, and of course, Albariño on the patio!