Wine maps of rias baixas
Albariño wines are elegant, crisp, dry and aromatic, with a unique and pleasing flavor. This grape variety, despite its low yields, difficulty of cultivation, and delicate, expensive grapes, produces exceptional wines. Albariño and Treixadura are required to account for 70% of wine production Soutomaior, south of Pontevedra and famous for a gorgeous castle and Ribera del Ulla recent addition to the Rias Baixas DO, located east of the Valle del Salnés. Indeed, it is the Albariño variety which has truly put Rías Baixas on the worlds wine map. Albariño and Loureira are required to account for 70% of wine production, in Condado de Tea, a mountainous region along the right bank of the Miño River. The wine production area is subdivided into five areas: The Val do Salnés, the best sub-region, scattered around the picturesque village of Cambados, made up of 70% Albariño Rosal, the southernmost sub-wine region located just south of the lovely town of Baiona (which happens to have a beautiful Parador hotel). Grapes allowed in the DO for red wine production include Mencía and Brancellao (although the best Rias Baixas wines are white). The traditional white grape varietals allowed in the production of DO wine include Albariño (The star grape used to make wine with the same name), Loureira, Treixadura, Caiño, Torrontés (the latter used as a blender grape in Galicia, but interestingly this grape is being used frequently as a single varietal in Argentina, perhaps evidence of the massive migration of Galicians to Argentina, where Argentines even refer to Spaniards as “Gallegos”), and Godello (also used in other nearby wine-producing regions including Ribeira Sacra, Monterrei and Ribeiro). There is 2,200 ha under vine, and average yields are between 600 and 2,600 vines per hectare. There is an average of 2,200 hours of direct sunlight per year, not enough to make rich red wines but perfect for producing the region’s famed white and light red wines. Temperatures are mild, only dropping in December and January. The Rias Baixas climate is Atlantic with heavy rainfall and high humidity. Wine Labels from Galicia nearly always use Gallego.
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The Galicians have a language distinct from Spanish, called “Gallego,” which resembles a mix of Portuguese and Spanish. The coastline is stunning with romantic coves and sandy white beaches spotted with quaint fishing villages. Galicia is Celtic (whose legacy today is evident in the traditional regional instrument, the bagpipe, called “la Gaita”) spiritual and dreamy, with rolling emerald green hills covered in mist, medieval castles, “Pazos” (beautiful, historic manor houses, many converted into small, charming hotels). The landscapes of the Rias Baixas wine region in Spain’s northwestern Galicia starkly contrast with the image many have of Spain- dry, hot, with a splash of bullfighting and flamenco.