Sarah Jane Evans first stepped off a train in Santiago de Compostela in the rain—a perfect first experience of Galicia, if you ask me. Long before she became a Master of Wine, Spain held a special place in her heart. Her early travels in Spain after time spent as an au pair in Madrid cemented her love for the country, and she told me that Santiago was a standout on that early trip that also took her through Mérida, Cáceres, and Seville.
That first experience kicked off a love for Spain that has continued to this day. She later returned to the UK and built a career in broadcasting and journalism while becoming a Master of Wine. The Spain focus was pretty narrow at that time—the WSET didn’t really talk about anything in Northern Spain beyond Rioja, and Galician wine didn’t come onto her radar until much later, when Albariño became popularized in the UK during the 1990s by chef Rick Stein’s TV program.
We talked about Galicia beyond Albariño, too. She told me that red wines made from indigenous Galician grapes like Caíño, Espadeiro, and Brancellao are gaining traction among wine professionals in the UK, but they’re still fairly unknown to the general public. At the end of the day, we both agreed that education and storytelling are critical for raising awareness about Galician wines. Passionate importers and wine bars do a great job of introducing consumers to off the beaten path grapes and creating moments of discovery, but Galicia’s small-scale production model makes many wines more expensive, which can be a hurdle when consumers have this idea of Spain as a country that makes affordable bulk wines.
We also talked about the future. Sarah Jane said she’s more optimistic than she was five years ago—at least in the UK, Albariño is benefiting from better-quality offerings from dedicated producers and people associate it less with cheapo supermarket wine. She said she hopes to see similar recognition for the region’s reds, in spite of their limited production and the logistical difficulties of exporting. At the end of the day, we both agreed that one of the single most important things that needs to happen in Spanish wine is an increase in confidence in their wines’ quality and value. As Sarah Jane said, “the Italians have it—if you want a Barolo, you’ll pay for it!”
You can watch the full conversation on YouTube.