Wine tourism in D.O. Rías Baixas
The Galician Rías Baixas are a privileged region for growing the vine. Their climate, orography, soil and native grape varieties are factors that determine the wine-growing ecosystem of an area. These characteristics define and delimit the vocation of the Rías Baixas Designation of Origin for obtaining quality wines.
The wine-growing environment is characterised by the combination of thermal, water and light factors, which can be integrated into indices of greater or lesser complexity. The five sub-zones of the Rías Baixas Designation of Origin (Condado do Tea, O Rosal, Ribeira do Ulla, Soutomaior, and Val do Salnés) are located in areas of maximum quality, according to the Effective Thermal Integral index, which measures the average quality potential of a wine-growing location.
A unique area for unique wines
The Rías Baixas Designation of Origin encompasses five sub-zones: Condado del Tea, O Rosal, Ribera del Ulla, Soutomaior and Val do Salnés. Four of these areas are located in the province of Pontevedra, while the Ribera do Ulla sub-zone is located in the province of A Coruña. All of them are committed to the native varieties of each area, especially the albariño, which represents more than 96% of production. These native varieties are resistant to the adverse climate typical of the area, and give a genuine quality and origin to these wines of marked Atlantic character.
The Rías Baixas Designation of Origin is conditioned by the smallholding structure typical of Galicia. This designation currently has an area of 4,047 hectares, spread over more than 21,825 plots. The wise and expert hands of its 5,550 winegrowers opted for a traditional viticulture, led by the trellis (emparrado) system, which we can also delight in when we visit the Galician Rías Baixas.
The land and the climate
The Rías Baixas Designation of Origin is fully integrated into the great Atlantic region, whose dividing line is the Wagner line (Wagner P., 1976). This is why the wines of this Designation are called Atlantic wines.
Zones
It is a factor of great influence with regard to the tendency to erosion and the degree of hydromorphy. From a topographical point of view, the most significant feature of the Val do Salnés sub-zone is the predominance of lowlands. It contains the most developed coastal plain in all of Galicia. Only in small residual reliefs or towards the periphery are altitudes above 100 m exceeded.
Microclimates
Winters in the Rías Baixas Designation of Origin are dominated by Atlantic storms from the West and the Southwest, with warm fronts of frequently tropical air. These bring heavy rainfall and are the determining factor of mild and even warm temperatures, with very little marked differences between day and night. Only invasions of cold Arctic air, or periods in which the anticyclones divert the stormy fronts to the north, can cause a drop in night-time temperatures sufficient for frosts to occur.
White varieties: Albariño, Treixadura, Loureira or Marqués, Caiño blanco, Torrontés and Godello.
Red varieties: Caiño tinto, Espadeiro, Loureiro tinto, Sousón, Mencía, Brancellao, Pedral and Castañal.
Another variety, the Loureira, also called Marqués, although its sugar-acid ratio is deficient (low sugar production and high acid production), its richness in original aromas and flavours reminiscent of laurel give it great personality.
The Treixadura, the third quality variety recommended for cultivation, has a natural habitat in the Condado, although it is not very widespread. Of floral and fruity characters, its flavour is reminiscent of ripe apples.
The albariño
The Albariño, the DO's main variety, reaches its maximum qualitative expression in this climate and on this soil; this variety has a great capacity for sugar production, which in good years can reach 13% vol of alcohol. In addition, and simultaneously, which is exceptional, it maintains a richness in acids that very few varieties in the whole world achieve, combined with a richness in aromatic and flavour components that makes its wines very identifiable.
