2012 Martín Códax Albariño

The wines of Martín Códax take their name from a Galician troubadour, which I've written about in a previous review. While the Albariño has been a consistent and enjoyable performer over the years, I was impressed by the label on this vintage.

The company uses a lute as their logo, but rather than go for a photorealistic version, the designer stripped down the concept into seven simple lines, with the five strings in cyan foil. I've always loved this stuff and as I find myself being pulled back into the world of graphic arts, I appreciate the clean and simple approach as opposed to just throwing everything at a logo and hoping that the viewer will be able to figure it out.

Our brains are quite capable of filling in the details from minimalist designs, which is why we can all understand the concept of a happy Homo sapiens with just two dots and a curved line. :) How long does it take you to figure out if someone is in a good mood from mere social signals and language?

2012 Martín Códax Albariño
Rías Baixas
100% Albariño
$15, 12.5% abv.

I get a message on Facebook from a reader. "I'm grilling some chicken tonight. What should I serve?" Without knowing this person in real life or knowing the details of the dish, I recommended this wine. Spanish Albariño is affordable, ridiculously easy to find, and pleasing to a wide range of palates. This vintage opened up with melon and floral aromas. On the palate, it shows mild white fruit flavors with bright, medium acidity and a slightly tart finish. In short, everything that you want from a cool summer sipper.

Note: This wine was provided as a sample for review.