I love this wine because it reminds me of the sea. Indeed, the part of the world it comes from enjoys a strong maritime influence: warm summer days, but cool nights, with lots of fog and rain. (This region gets so much precipitation, actually, that in many of its older vineyards the vines are supported by trellises made of granite, because the weather will rot wooden stakes.) The example I’m drinking speaks clearly of its cool-climate, coastal origins: it’s a pale yellow, green-tinged, light-to-medium-bodied wine, full of refreshing, bracing acids, complete with a palate-cleansing wash of lemon and juicy summer melon flavors. In the mid-palate, I get honeydew, apple, and a distinct briny note, like the vineyard it came from looks out toward the Atlantic in the distance. This wine’s reasonable price makes it even more perfect to stock up on for the coming warm weather.

What could it be? Email me with your guess or click here for the answer:

Clearly this is a white wine, and its origins on the Atlantic coast help us zero in: only a few regions with any significant winemaking history border the Atlantic, including Bordeaux, Long Island, and … Rias Baixas, along the northeastern coast of Spain, just above Portugal. Bordeaux isn’t known for its whites or its constant rain, and with its hot days, warm nights, and strength in merlot and cab franc, Long Island doesn’t seem right either. (Nor are either of these regions known for bargains.) But Rias Baixas (say “REE-ahs BYE-shahs”) has an ancient tradition of making fruity, refreshing, affordable whites from the albariño grape. And perhaps no other wine expresses its maritime terroir — or goes better with fresh shellfish by the way — than a clean, cold, minerally Rias Baixas. Bingo, that what I’m drinking: a 2007 Brandal Albariño from Adegas D’Altamira, $16.