There are moments when I despair of my development as a wine-o.

When my nose is buried in a big glass of red and I come up for air, announce proudly, “cherries! I’d bet my life on it!”, and then be told it’s filled with blackberries and plums, I don’t think I’ll ever figure this wine thing out.

There are a lot of those moments, actually.

Then there are moments I think “you’ve come a long way, baby.”

I had one of those experiences last week. I had invited a couple of friends over for a casual summer dinner – orzo with feta and shrimp and bought the perfect bottle of Albarino to go with it.

This is a big deal for me for several reasons.

Before I really started learning about wine, I decided all I liked was red and thought I just liked fruity, jammy wine. So a year or two ago, I probably would have grabbed any old bottle of red wine and gone with it. But now, now I’m thinking shrimp goes with Albarino, did a bit of research (i.e. talked to Dry about Alba’s) and came up with the Martin Codax ($12.99) from ABC.

It was a good choice.

The Albarino is a white grape from Rias Baixas in the northwest of Spain. It’s a good value for a lovely wine and is a great alternative white summer sipper.

It had a beautiful, pale yellow color and aromas that jumped out of the glass.

I personally smelled apple, citrus and honey, though other reviewers have thrown in pear and peach to the mix as well. It was a very sweet, pleasant smell. On the tongue, it was refreshing, crisp, light and slightly acidic. It paired perfectly with the shrimp and I found myself delighted by the quiet, well-behaved wine and the great pairing. It’s got a round, fresh finish and is an elegant little wine.

It was the perfect partner for dinner and as I laughed with my girlfriends, I took a moment to relish how far I’ve come. Of course, I realize how far I have to go, but for that night, in that moment, everything was perfect.