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…
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.
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…
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 …
“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.
Chantada (chahn-TAH-dah), is a subzone of the Ribeira Sacra wine appellation located on the western bank of the Miño River. It’s the subzone with the second-highest number of wineries (20), and its 202 hectares are tended by 530 registered growers. A Little Geography Chantada extends from north to south along the west bank of the …
Ribeiras do Miño (ree-BAY-ras do MEEN-yo) is the second-largest subzone of the Ribeira Sacra appellation. As its name (“banks of the Miño”) suggests, it’s located along the eastern bank of the Miño River. Its 358 hectares are home to 816 registered growers, the most out of all the subzones, and 18 wineries. A Little Geography …
Ribeiras do Sil is the subzone across the Sil River from Amandi, and the second-smallest subzone of the Ribeira Sacra. It’s got some of the most beautiful scenery in the Ribeira Sacra, with much more than just vineyards. A Little Geography © Noah Chichester, 2022, All Rights Reserved Ribeiras do Sil is located on the left …
Quiroga-Bibei (key-ROW-guh bee-BAY) is a subzone of the Ribeira Sacra wine appellation. It encompasses the Quiroga valley, the banks of the Sil and Bibei rivers, and mountainous territory around Manzaneda and Pobra de Trives. Quiroga narrowly beats Ribeiras do Miño for the title of largest subzone in Ribeira Sacra, with 392 hectares and 390 growers. A Little Geography Quiroga-Bibei …
The Salnés Valley is the most important subzone in the Rías Baixas DO. Known locally as O Salnés, it has three-quarters of the region’s growers and just over half the appellation’s vineyards. It’s also the subzone with the largest number of wineries: 113 out of Rías Baixas’ 178 wineries are in the Val do Salnés. © Noah Chichester, 2022. All rights reserved. …