Galicia

Overview

The Galicia region is located in Spain’s north-western corner and is bordered by Portugal in the south, Spanish regions of Castilla y Leon and Asturias to the east, and finally the Atlantic Ocean in west, and Cantabrian Sea to the north. Galicia has 1,660 km of coastline.  The landscape varies from the hilly inland regions to the flatter coastal areas. The climate is oceanic, temperate, and rainy, with markedly drier summers. Galicia has five wine Denominacion de Origen (DO), of which we currently focus on Rias Baixas – Galicia’s largest DO and the one closest to the Atlantic Ocean – and Valdeorras – the easternmost DO and the one with highest altitude. Other wine DOs of Galicia include Ribeiro, Monterrei, and Ribeira Sacra.

Key Grape Varieties

Rias Baixas is undoubtedly the most famous, producing crisp and mineral white wines made from the Albarino grape. Whereas Valdeorras – sometimes referred to as ‘Burgundian’, produces mineral, vibrant and full-bodied white wines from indigenous Godello grape variety sometimes blended with other indigenous varieties.

Food Pairing

The crisp and saline white wines of Galicia complement fresh and uncooked seafood especially shellfish incredibly well, but is also a delicious accompaniment for salads, cold vegetables soups such as gazpacho, with fresh goat’s cheese, or as aperitif along with Marcona almonds and green Gordo olives.

Key Sub Regions

There are five sub regions in Galicia and we have decided to focus on two of them:

• Rias Baixas
• Valdeorras