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Education

Rías Baixas Vineyards: Exploring the Sub-Regions

Posted on April 22, 2021

Rías Baixas vineyards are located on the northwestern coast of Spain, in the region of Galicia. In the Galician dialect, the name Rías Baixas means “Lower Rias”, and this refers to the four estuaries that dissect the area.

Side note: This Rías Baixas vineyards article is also available in video format (produced in partnership with Rías Baixas wines). To watch, just scroll to the bottom. If you enjoy the video, consider subscribing to my YouTube wine education channel (click here) so you never miss an episode!

The estuaries of Rías Baixas are home to a rich diversity of marine life. They shape the landscape and are a major part of what make Albariño from Rías Baixas vineyards so unique.

Rías Baixas Vineyards: Five Unique Sub-Regions

Five distinct vineyard sub-regions were identified in Rías Baixas based on proximity to or distance from the coast, altitude, orientation, soil variations and so forth.

They are: Val do Salnés, O Rosal, Condado do Tea (con-dah-doh d-oh tay-ah), Soutomaior (S-oh-toh-my-or), and Ribeira do Ulla (Ree-bay-ra do Oo-ya).

Rías Baixas Vineyards: Val do Salnés

Val do Salnés, on the Atlantic coast, is the region’s oldest sub-region. Over half of Rías Baixas vineyards, and two-thirds of its wineries, are based here. It is also considered to be the birthplace of the Albariño grape variety.

Both 100% Albariño and blended white wines are made in Val do Salnés. According to Rías Baixas DO regulations, blends must be made from a minimum of 70% Albariño, with local varieties: Loureiro, Treixadura, or Caiño Blanco.

Val do Salnés has the coolest and wettest weather patterns of all Rías Baixas vineyards, with average yearly temperatures of just 13 degrees Celsius. The soils here are granite-based and quite rocky. These factors give the wines of Val do Salnés high, nervy acidity and marked salinity.

Cooler vineyard sites within the sub-region have tart fruit flavours on the citrus and green fruit spectrum, whereas sunnier spots tend to have riper, tropical fruit nuances.

Rías Baixas Vineyards: O Rosal

O Rosal is a small, coastal sub-region south of Val do Salnés. It follows the northern bank of the Miño River, looking out to Portugal on its southern bank. The vineyards directly along the river are planted on terraces, with excellent sun exposure.

This area is slightly warmer with alluvial topsoil over granite and outcrops of slate. Albariño is often bottled varietally, but when it is blended, Loureiro is the secondary grape variety authorized in O Rosal. This delicate white variety gives a subtle floral note to wines.

In general, the white wines of O Rosal have intense stone fruit flavours and a rounded mouthfeel.

Rías Baixas Vineyards: Condado do Tea

The terroir of Condado do Tea extends inland from O Rosal following the Miño River into a rugged, mountainous territory. The vineyards are dissected by a tributary of the Miño, called the Tea River and Condado do Tea (the “Country of Tea”) is named for this.

As Condado do Tea is further from the coast, it is less affected by cooling marine breezes, so it is a warmer territory. The soils are quite shallow here, with granite and slate sub-layers quite near the surface. Slate is an excellent conduit for radiating heat, which helps boost ripening.

Albariño is, again, the major grape. When it is blended, the permitted secondary variety is Treixadura (aka Trajadura) which has quite a firm, steely structure.

Condado do Tea wines are earthier than other sub-regions, with less overt fruit flavours.

Rías Baixas Vineyards: Soutomaior

If we head due north of Condado do Tea, we arrive at the smallest Rías Baixas sub-region: Soutomaior (S-oh-toh-my-or). A mere 12 hectares of vines and three wineries are based here.

Soutomaior starts at the head of the Rías de Vigo. It is a hilly area with light, sandy soils over a granite bedrock. The wines are taut and mineral-driven.

Rías Baixas Vineyards: Ribeira do Ulla

Ribeira do Ulla (Ree-bay-ra do Oo-ya) is the newest Rías Baixas vineyards’ sub-region, located north east of Val do Salnés and directly south east of Santiago de Compostela. The vineyards are planted on the hillsides and plains along both banks of the Ulla River.

The soils here are rich and alluvial, giving very fruity, rounded, easy drinking white wines.

Rías Baixas Vineyards’ Wines Tasted in the Video!

Rectoral do Umia Abellio Albariño, Val do Salnés

Bodegas Altos de Torona, Pazo de Villarei, O Rosal

Fillaboa Winery Albariño, Condado do Tea

Photo credit: https://www.riasbaixaswines.com/

Education

The Sensational Spanish White Wines of Rías Baixas

Posted on April 8, 2021

Photo credit: Rías Baixas Wines (Spanish White Wines of Rías Baixas)

When most people think of Spanish wine, they imagine sun-drenched vineyards and bold, spicy red wines. Few consider the exciting Spanish white wines being made throughout the country today. One of the most exciting of which to emerge in recent years, is the crisp, aromatic Albariño.

Side note: This Spanish White Wines of Rías Baixas article was also produced as a sponsored video (in partnership with Rías Baixas wines). To watch, just scroll down to the bottom and click play. If you enjoy the video, consider subscribing (click here) to my YouTube wine education channel so you never miss an episode.

Experts agree that the finest vineyard region for Albariño is Rías Baixas. But what is it that makes Rías Baixas so uniquely suited to produce top-quality Spanish white wines?

Locating Rías Baixas

Rías Baixas has a winemaking tradition dating back to Roman times. The region is located on the northwestern coast of Spain, in Galicia. This part of the country is often referred to as Green Spain. With its cool, rainy weather and lush, emerald-green hillsides it is easy to understand why.

Visitors frequently compare Galicia to parts of Ireland or Scotland, not only for these landscapes but also the lingering architectural, cultural, and musical traces of its Celtic origins.

The wine growing area of Rías Baixas stretches along the Atlantic coast for roughly 100 kilometres, from due south of the famous Christian pilgrimage site, Santiago de Compostela, to the Portuguese border.

Spanish White Wines – Rias Baixas region map

The Climate & Soils of Rías Baixas

Rías Baixas has moderate year-round temperatures. The combination of abundant sunshine, cooling Atlantic breezes, and regular rainfall leads to slow, even ripening and excellent acid retention in the grapes. This gives wines with racy acidity and pure, vibrant aromas.

The topography of the region is highly varied, with jagged inlets, shallow fjords, flat lands, and gentle slopes. Vineyard plots tend to be quite small. Indeed, the region has well over 5000 growers – often small family holdings passed down from generation to generation.

The growing areas of Rías Baixas are divided into five sub-regions which we will explore in more detail in an upcoming, part two of this series.

Granite and schist-based soils are common Rías Baixas with mineral-rich alluvial top-soil. The minerality from the soil and salinity from the Atlantic climate are hallmarks of Rías Baixas wines.

Albariño, A Noble Grape Among Spanish White Wines

A whopping 99% of Rías Baixas’ production is of dry, white wine. The vast majority of these wines are made from Albariño, which makes up 96% of the region’s plantings. Small volumes of other white varieties like Treixadura, Loureiro, Caiño Blanco are also grown here.

These secondary grapes serve as minor blending elements to add nuance to the wines. Minute quantities of top-quality traditional method sparkling wine and red wine is also made in Rías Baixas.

Albariño is a late ripening grape that thrives in Rías Baixas’ cool, sunny climate. To counter the region’s high humidity levels, the majority of vines are trained on pergola style wire trellises, affixed to granite posts, called “parras”. This vine training system allows breezes to circulate in and around the vines fruiting area.

Spanish white wines – harvesting in Rias Baixas

Vinifying the Spanish White Wines of Rías Baixas

Most grapes are hand-harvested in Rías Baixas. A short cold soak on the skins is common before fermentation to enhance aromatic potential. Wines are then generally fermented in stainless steel, then aged on their fine lees for anywhere from four to nine months to preserve freshness and give a layered, textural mouthfeel.

As temperatures rise, many of Rías Baixas winemakers are moving away from full malolactic fermentation. This process converts harsh malic acid to softer lactic acid. Blocking this transformation keeps acidity levels high. This is vital in Rías Baixas. The bright acidity of the region’s Albariño is one its signature traits, making these Spanish white wines so popular.

When it is practiced, oak ageing (and in rare cases, fermentation in oak) tends to be reserved for premium cuvées. In these cases, large, neutral oak casks or smaller, seasoned barrels are used so that oak flavours don’t overpower the wine’s bright, fruity character.

A Dynamic, Empowered Wine Region for Spanish White Wines

Rías Baixas is an incredibly dynamic wine region. When the DO origin status was granted in 1988 there were just 14 commercial wineries. Now, there are almost 200 producers. And the Spanish white wines of Rías Baixas are served in wine-focused restaurants around the globe.

What’s more, women are leading the charge in Rías Baixas. More than half of the region’s winemakers and winery executives are women. Marisol Bueno, co-owner of Val do Salnés winery Pazo Señorans was instrumental in Rías Baixas achieving DO status and international recognition.

Tasting the Spanish White Wines of Rías Baixas

In general, Rías Baixas white wines are bone dry, with mouth watering acidity, medium body, refreshing salinity, and intense stone, citrus, and tropical fruit flavours.

Curious to try the three Spanish white wines of Rías Baixas presented in the video? Here are the producer’s and cuvée names:

A Tasting Tour of Spain

Posted on November 10, 2015

Last Thursday, I attended La Grande Dégustation tasting event in Montréal. The theme country this year is Spain. For the country with the largest surface area under vine in the world, I do not devote nearly as much time as I should to tasting its wines. In the past, if given just two words to describe Spanish wines, I would have said oak and alcohol. While this is not entirely untrue, I knew that my predjudice was based on vast over generalization so I decided to spend some time at the show on a tasting tour of Spain.

I started in Penedès, with a glass or three of bubbles. Cava is predominantly white (though rosé exists) and made in much the same way as Champagne. The major differences are the terroir and the grapes. In Cava, the native varieties Macabeu, Xarel-lo and Parellada dominate. Just as the right ingredients simmered together create the singular flavour of a delicious dish, each grape brings unique attributes that when blended, make a harmonious finished wine. Macabeu, the main player, is fairly neutral with subtle floral and lemon aromas and a touch of bitter almond on the finish. Doesn’t sound that exciting? Just think of it as the base…like homemade stock before you’ve added any salt or seasoning herbs. Xarel-lo (pronounced cha-re-low) is more overtly aromatic and fuller bodied. Parellada gives searing acidity and pronounced green apple and citrus notes. Bone dry (Brut Nature and Extra Brut) Cava exists, as do slightly sweet, off-dry (Semi Seco) styles. The majority of bottlings however, are Brut – no perceptible sweetness; just fruity and rounded. For the most part, Cava doesn’t have the finesse or ageing potential of Champagne, but it is generally good value “every day” fizz.

Just as the right ingredients simmered together create the singular flavour of a delicious dish, each grape brings unique attributes that when blended, make a harmonious finished wine.

My next stop was way down south in Andalucía, for some dry Sherry (aka Jerez). If you think Sherry is a sweet, sticky wine only good for cooking or as a gift for your grandmother, drink again. There is a huge range of apéritif styles from the delicate, bone dry Finos to the richly concentrated Oloroso. Dry Sherry is made from the native Palamino grape. What makes it so special is the ageing process. In Fino Sherry, the just fermented wine is fortified to ~15% alcohol, and then transferred to large, old oak barrels filled up 5/6 full. The empty space at the top allows for the development of a film of yeast called flor. This yeast covering protects the wine from oxidation and creates a unique flavour profile of pale, fresh, yet nutty wines with an intriguing salty tang. Oloroso Sherry is fortified to 17.5% alcohol; a level at which flor yeast cannot develop. These wines undergo highly oxidative ageing resulting in darkly coloured, powerful, dry whites with intense raisiny, nutty flavours.

On to cool, rainy north western Galicia for some lively whites. The Albariño grape (aka Alvarinho in Portugal) is the main variety grown in the coastal Rías Baixas DO. When well-made it is a total hedonistic pleasure to drink: bright peach, apricot and floral aromas, vibrant acidity, light bodied and smooth with moderate alcohol; really juicy and fun. Fleshier, creamy, oaked versions exist that can be totally delicious, but the lighter versions are more common. A 3 hour drive inland takes us to the Valdeorras DO; Godello country. While current plantings remain fairly low in the scheme of Spanish wine output, the grape has seen a surge in popularity internationally. And what’s not to like? The slatey soils of Valdeorras give Godello with pretty apple, pear and subtle peach notes, crisp acidity, full, layered texture and a mineral-tinged finish.

Time for the Spanish heavy-weight: Rioja DOC. The pronounced vanilla aromas in Rioja come from long ageing in American oak barrels, bought as staves and crafted by local barrelmakers. Historically, Rioja producers aged their wines for incredibly long periods before release; sometimes upwards of 20 years. Nowadays, the trend is toward fruitier, fresher wines less marked by age and oak. Many wineries are even using French oak, or a mix of both, to give a slightly more subtle, integrated oak profile. Styles are based on grape quality (vineyard site and harvest date) and length of ageing. The youngest wines, called simply Rioja or Joven, are aged less than a year in oak (if at all). The oldest and most prized wines, only made in the best vintages, are the Gran Reservas. They are aged a minimum of 2 years in oak and 3 years in bottle before release. The major grape in red Rioja blends is Tempranillo. It is a bold wine with moderate acidity, bright cherry and leather aromas, medium to high alcohol and big, chewy tannins. The younger wines are generally softer and simpler, while the Gran Reservas are a full throttle experience.

In the Ribera del Duero DO, the same grape reigns supreme but offers quite a different taste experience. There are several reasons for this. Firstly because a different clone of Tempranillo, called Tinto Fino, is grown here. Secondly, the high altitude (800m plateau) gives wide fluctuations in temperature from hot days to cool nights giving the wines bold flavours while preserving fresh acidity. Lastly, the supporting grapes are not the same. Whereas Rioja’s second stringers include Garnacha (Grenache), Graciano and Mazuelo, Ribera del Duero blends often include a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec. Roughly the same ageing categories exist as in Rioja. The best Ribera del Duero reds today are dark and inky in colour, concentrated and full bodied with intense, dark berry fruit and mocha notes. Alcohol levels can get quite high here, but the quality wines have enough fruit, body and structure to match.

In the Priorat DOC, south west of Barcelona, old vine Garnacha gives rich, powerful red blends. Cariñena (Carignan in France), Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are the seasoning grapes. Priorat, with its hot, dry climate and extremely low vigour soils, boasts some of the lowest yields of any top quality vineyards world-wide, at a mere 5 hl/ha (Grand Cru Burgundy = 25 hl/ha). The wines are incredibly concentrated with explosive cherry, tar and licorice aromas. Alcohol is also pretty massive in Priorat, but again, is well-balanced in the top wines.

Here are the stand out wines from my little tour (What do VW, PW and LW mean? Click on my wine scoring system to find out):

Segura Viudas Heredad NV – 86pts. PW

Pretty aromas of pear and brioche, with subtle nutty and floral notes. Zesty acidity, light body and creamy mousse, with a lifted citrus finish. Pleasant, easy drinking fizz. Drinking well now.

Grapes: Macabeu, Parelleda

Where to Buy: LCBO (29.95$)

Gonzalez Byass “Tres Palmas” Fino Jerez – 93pts. LW

González Byass, leading Sherry bodega, crafted this beautiful example of an aged Fino on the cusp of becoming Amontillado. Aged for 10 years, the flor has just about run its course, allowing for gentle oxidation. Deep old gold in colour, seductive notes of toffee, walnuts, caramel and marmelade mark the nose. Dry, with crisp acidity, an almost viscous mouth-feel and complex, woody notes on the lengthy finish.

Grapes: Palamino

Where to Buy: SAQ (47.00$, 500mL bottle)

La Caña Albariño Jorge Ordonez 2014 (Rias Baixas DO) – 89pts. PW

Really gluggable; with ripe peach, apricot and citrus aromas. Very fruit-driven on the palate, with balancing acidity. Light and subtly creamy through the mid-palate with just a hint of toasty oak on the finish. This is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

*** I also highly recommend Jorge Ordonez more premium La Caña Navia old vine Albariño, as well as his Godellos, under the Avancia label. Totally delicious.

Grapes: Albariño

Where to Buy: SAQ (22.95$)

Marqués de Riscal Reserva 2011 (Rioja DOC) – 91pts. PW

Fantastic value from one of the oldest and most reputable bodegas in Rioja. Inviting aromas of blueberry, black cherry, leather and animal notes on the nose. Bold, with a firm yet velvetty structure, fresh acidity, great depth of flavour and big, chewy tannins. Toasty, cedar and vanilla notes attest to the two years ageing in American oak, but accentuate rather than dominate the finish.

*** If you want to splurge, the 2005 Gran Reserva is a beautifully complex and layered wine, but I found the oak a little overpowering, slightly drying out the finish.

Grapes: Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo

Where to Buy: LCBO (24.55$), SAQ (22.95$)

Tamaral “Finca la Mira” Reserva 2009 (Ribera del Duero DO) – 89pts. LW

Produced from 100-year old vines from the Finca la Mira vineyard, this Reserva is redolent with floral notes, jammy dark berries, tobacco, leather and hints of mixed spice. Powerful, dense and concentrated with lively acidity and ripe, grippy tannins. The oak plank and cedar notes from 2-years ageing in French oak are a little overpowering on the finish; disappointing considering the ultra appealing nose and attack. Needs further cellaring or a few hours decanting…and a nice steak to soften the tannin and mask the oak.

Grapes: Tinto Fino

Where to Buy: Not currently available, through the Tamaral Crianza offers decent value: SAQ (24.30$)