Galician wine
Galician wine is
Climate and geography
Located along the
The
History
In the 14th century, Galicia was exporting plant
Viticulture and wines
The region of Galicia has shown itself to be quite successful in
Around 137 hectares (340 acres) of the
Wine regions
Monterrei
The Monterrei DO is found at the southern end of Galicia on the border with Portugal. The region was first granted provisional DO status in the early 1980s but lost the designation as Spanish authorities determined that the producers of Monterrei were not committed to upgrading their estates and improving wine quality. Spurred on by this event, the producers in Monterrei began modernizing their vineyards and wineries with the region regaining full DO status in 1994.[2]
The main wine grapes of Monterrei are
Rías Baixas
The Rias Baixas is the most well known region of Galicia and produces some of Spain's most sought after dry white wines based on the Albariño grape. While wines have been produced in this region for some time, exports of the wine to other areas of Europe didn't begin till 16th century and was kept at a steady pace till the
The vineyard soils of the area are granite based and ideally situated for the damp
Other grapes grown in Rías Baixas include
Rías Baixas (DO) is the Galician DO that exports most bottles of wine.
Ribeira Sacra
The Ribeira Sacra was granted DO status in 1996 and for most of the late 20th century and early 2000s the majority of the wine produced here was made from the Mencía grape with limited white wine production coming from the Godello and Albariño grape.[1] However, by the late 2000s, Palomino was the most widely planted grape in the region though Mencía still has a significant presence producing what wine expert Tom Stevenson calls "promising reds". Stevenson also notes that on the steep, terraced vineyards of Ribeira Sacra that Albariño has the potential to produce the most exciting wine.[2]
Other wine grapes grown in the Ribeira Sacra DO include Brancellao, Caiño tinto, Caiño blanca, Doña blanca, Espadeiro,
Ribeiro
The Ribeiro DO (which means "river banks" in Galician) is located along the Miño river and its tributaries. It received its DO status in 1957. In the 16th and 17th century, Ribeiro wine was often exported to England and Italy but suffered the same damages as Rías Baixas did during the phylloxera epidemic. However, growers were quicker to turn away from the low quality hybrid plantings and back to the native Torrontés, Treixadura and Lado varieties. These grapes produce crisp, aromatic white wines. The area's red wine production is centered on the Garnacha Tintorera which produces dark colored but light bodied wines.[1]
Due to the similar climates and Atlantic influence, many of the wines of Ribeiro often share a style with the
Other grapes grown in the Ribeiro region include Albariño, Brancellao, Caiño tinto, Caiño blanca, Ferrón, Garnacha, Godello,
Valdeorras
The Valdeorras DO is the easternmost wine region of Galicia that is dominated by the red Garnacha Tintorera and the white Palomino grape. Many of the vineyards are planted in terraces on the steep slate hillsides that flank the
Other grapes grown in the Valdeorras region include Doña blanca, Godello, Gran negro, Lado, María Ardoña, Mencía, Merenzao and Palomino.[2]
References
- ^ ISBN 0-19-860990-6
- ^ ISBN 9780756686840
- ISBN 978-1-846-14446-2