Rias Baixas Wine Region
The Rias Baixas wine region which is located in the south province of A
Coruna, an autonomous community of Galicia, Spain, is probably best known to
most of us for the white wine, made from the Albariño variety of grape.
As far as the history of this particular wine region is concerned, it is thought
that the Cistercian monks from the Monastery of Armenteira were responsible for
its introduction during the 12th century.
Rias Baixas, (pronounced locally as ree ass by shass) achieved the official
status as a DO (Denominacion de Origen) in the late 1980's, upgrading from the
earlier acquired Denominaction Especifica Albarino status awarded at the start
of 1980.
The region itself is divided into five areas known as sub zones and these go by
the names of Val do Salnés, O Rosal, Condado do Tea, Soutomaior, and Ribera de
Ulla.
Val do Salnés is on the lower banks of the Umia river close Cambados town. The
soil mainly consists of rocks and the grapes grow in vines on both sides and the
flat floor of the valley.
O Rosal is further south and runs along the Portuguese border at the river Miño
as far as Tui town. The banks of the river are terraced with vineyards and the
soil in the area is made up of broken pieces of rock.
Condado do Tea lies in the west and runs from Tui up to Riveiro along the Miño
valley. The soil here consists of slate and granite and there are several small
rivers running through the valleys.
Soutomaior is a sub zone which lies south of Pontevedra city. Although covered
in granite the soils here are sandy and light.
Ribera de Ulla is the most newly acquired of the sub zones. This area with its
alluvial soil was incorporated into the Rias Baixas wine region in the year 2000
and runs north of the city of Pontevedra.
The Rias Baixas wine region has an Atlantic climate with a high rainfall
compared to other areas of Spain and a regular sea fog. The temperature in the
summer time does not usually go above 30ºC, falling to around 0ºC during the
winter months.
Of the five sub zones, Ribera do Ulla and Val do Salnés are the coldest as they
are nearer to the coast than the others. The vineyards sometimes experience
problems with strong winds especially when accompanied by frost and hailstones.
There are twelve grapes grown in the Rias Baixas wine region which are
authorised by the regulatory Council, but the Albariño grape, which is a white
variety accounts for over 90 percent of all planted vines. The six approved
white grapes are, Albariño, Caiño Blanca, Godello, Loureira Blanca, Torrontés,
and Treixadura, whilst the six red varieties meeting with approval are
Brancellao, CaiñoTinto, Espadeiro, Loureira Tinta, Mencía and Sousón. All of the
above mentioned grapes are grown by training them long granite parrales (poles)
which ensures they are protected from humidity at the same time as making the
most of them being in the sunshine.
Overall, this wine producing region is the most well known of Galicia and
accounts for the production of some of Spain's most enjoyed white wines made
from the Albarino grape. The fruity and fragrant wine is nearly always dry with
at least 12 percent alcohol content.
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