Galician Wine News Roundup
Here’s a rundown of some Galician wine news from the month of October, translated from the original Spanish (or Galician) for your convenience.
Luis Anxo Rodríguez: On Location in Ribeiro
I’m late to my interview with Luis Anxo.
I’ve been filming a video about the medieval terraces of Val do Avia with my friend Antonio Míguez Amil, and between having to take it easy on the gas pedal while driving up the serpentine roads that lead to Antonio’s vineyard, shooting the video, and catching up (I haven’t seen him for a year), we’re running late.
So I call him. “No problem! I’m at the optometrist!” he booms in rapid-fire Galician. “Come by when you’re done and we’ll go to the winery!”
On Location in Ribeiro with Antonio Míguez Amil
Antonio Míguez Amil probably knows more about Ribeiro than any person alive today. I call him the “wise man of Ribeiro” for his encyclopedic knowledge of the region’s history, terroir, and his dedication to recovering traditional vineyards and planting them with native grapes. He took me to one of the vineyards that he’s painstakingly recovering in San Lourenzo da Pena to talk about the history of Ribeiro and why these old vineyards are worth saving.
Galician Wine News Roundup
Here’s a rundown of some Galician wine news from the month of September, translated from the original Spanish (or Galician) for your convenience.
Is Organic Albariño Possible in Rías Baixas?
Natalia Rodriguez left her job as a lawyer to return to the countryside and try to make organic albariño. Twelve years later, she’s the first certified organic albariño producer in Rías Baixas. We sat down to talk about organic farming, the Condado do Tea, and what makes albariño special.
Albariño Day: How the Rías Baixas’ Biggest Party Got Started
Albariño Day is an all-you-can-eat-and-drink-without-bursting marathon, complete with concerts, fireworks, and maybe the occasional full-frontal nudity. It’s one of the reasons why Albariño from Rías Baixas is world-famous today, but most people don’t know its origin story…
10 Albariños to Know
The people who are bored with the “what grows together, goes together” narrative obviously haven’t been to Galicia, or drunk Albariño with shellfish by the sea in an old man bar in A Illa da Arousa, or seen fleets of bateas floating in the Ría de Pontevedra while they walk through trellised vineyards. This is all to say that if there’s a perfect pairing in this world, it’s Albariño and shellfish. The brine and the wine, baby. And if there’s a perfect Albariño, it comes from Galicia.
Treixadura, Viña Costeira, and Why Ribeiro Matters
Most people outside Spain couldn’t tell you what Ribeiro is—let alone rattle off producers’ names. The people who do know a bit more about Ribeiro can probably name about two winemakers, but can’t tell you much more than that…
How to Read a Galician Wine Label
You don’t need to speak Galician or have a degree in Spanish wine to correctly decipher a Galician wine label. Here are a few tips to help see what you’re drinking. Anatomy of a Wine Label Here are five key things to look for on a Galician wine label. 1. O Nome: The name of the …
Adventures in Eating (and Drinking): The Cocido
“Pig snout? Sorry my friend, you’re in the wrong neighborhood for that.”
The butcher’s frank assessment rang in my ears as I exchanged money for a plastic bag of spare ribs and pig ears, scratching my head and wondering where exactly the right neighborhood for pig snout was, and if this was some kind of arcane butcher knowledge that everyone just knows by virtue of wielding a cleaver, or if this sort of thing is advertised in the mystery meat yellow pages and I just missed the memo.