Brancellao (bron-suh-YOW) is a red wine grape from Galicia.
What is brancellao?
Brancellao, brancello, or albarello was widely spread throughout Galicia in the past. The powdery mildew plague of the mid-19th century almost caused its extinction, and it was replaced with mencía and high-yielding garnacha tintorera. Luckily, it made a comeback and it’s currently the fourth most-grown Galician red grape.
What does Brancellao wine smell like?
Brancellao tends to have subtle floral aromas as well as notes of red fruits, sweet spices, herbs, and (depending on the soil) slate.
What does Brancellao wine taste like?
On the palate, most Brancellao wines have medium tannins and lots of acidity. In many of them, red fruit and herbaceous notes continue on the palate.
Where does brancellao come from?
This grape probably comes from the Douro or Dão in Portugal, where it’s known as alvarelhão. Its genetic ancestor is probably caíño bravo. Until the 1970s it was widely planted in the Douro, where it was used to make port. It was also an important variety in the Dão region and the surrounding area of Beiras, as well as in the Vinho Verde region near Monção.
In Galicia, various documents tell us that it was cultivated in the pre-phylloxera era under the name of albarello in Betanzos, Monforte de Lemos, A Pobra de Trives, O Barco de Valdedorras, and Ponteareas.
Some technical details
Brancellao makes wines with alcohol percentages between 13 and 14% and acidity of 5-6 g/L. Brancellao has very little polyphenolic content, so aging can be quite a challenge.
How is Brancellao wine made?
Most brancellao is made into wine and blended with other grapes to add more aromatic intensity as well as body. In Ribeiro, the traditional blend is brancellao, caíño tinto, and sousón.
How is brancellao grown?
Brancellao usually grows in bush-trained vines or on trellises. It has a very long growth cycle, as it buds and ripens later than many other varieties. Its yields are fairly low and it’s a difficult variety to cultivate in Galicia because of its sensitivity to powdery mildew.
Curious about the rest of Galicia’s grape varieties? Check them out here.