Wine Tourism in D.O. RIBEIRA SACRA
The Ribeira Sacra is a wine-producing area covering 2,500 hectares of vineyards, representing 5.2% of the land devoted to vines in Galicia.It comprises parishes and localities in twenty municipalities located along the banks of the Miño and Sil rivers, in the south of the province of Lugo and the north of Ourense.Although in all of them the area devoted to vine cultivation is always situated on the banks of the two great rivers that cross them, there are substantial differences between the wines produced in them, which is why they have traditionally been grouped into five geographical subzones
A unique area for unique wines and Albariños
The Ribeira Sacra is a wine-producing area covering 2,500 hectares of vineyards, representing 5.2% of the land devoted to vines in Galicia. It comprises parishes and localities in 20 municipalities located along the banks of the Miño and Sil rivers, in the south of the province of Lugo and the north of the province of Ourense.
The Regulatory Board of the Ribeira Sacra Designation of Origin has three essential tasks: to guarantee the origin of the product, to ensure its quality and to promote the wines produced under the D.O. In purely productive matters, the Board's qualified staff and an independent technical committee are responsible for carrying out the relevant controls so that the final product complies with the standards required by the Regulatory Board.
The land and the climate
In recent years, various international voices from the world of wine have come to define the Ribeira Sacra as the most beautiful wine-growing region in the world, placing its wines on a par with the famous French wines of Burgundy and Cabernet.
Zones
The vines are grown on terraces that seek to make the most of the little arable land available on the steep riverbanks. This has become one of the defining elements of the area's landscape and, moreover, helps to give the grape a special personality. Alongside this arrangement, the granitic-slate and acidic soil favours drainage. If we add to this that the vines arearranged so as to receive the greatest amount of sunlight, the result is a wine with unique characteristics andextremely high quality standards.
Microclimates
This enclosed landscape of the Ribeira Sacra valleys, the result of a complex geomorphological history, favours environmental conditions marked by very high temperatures in summer and very low ones in winter, with very scant rainfall. This explains the existence of a typically Mediterranean flora among which the vine finds a privileged place for its development.
Mencía is undoubtedly the most widely cultivated variety in the Ribeira Sacra, giving rise to young wines of great quality and highly aromatic. Mencía wines are the colour of intense cherry, bright and with a purple rim. On the nose they produce a pleasant first impression, being fruity, of sufficient intensity and of medium to long duration. They enter the mouth smoothly,eliciting a pleasurable sensation. Their acidity is balanced, they are powerful in alcohol and well endowed with tannins. They are flavourful, sometimes somewhat fleshy and even slightly astringent. On the aftertaste they are elegant and fruity, with a return of ripe red fruits, of medium intensity and prolonged persistence.
The Ribeira Sacra is wine, but as we are discovering, it is also landscape, gastronomy and Romanesque art. The Ribeira Sacra also defines a way of life so longed for by all those who live immersed in the whirlwind of modern life.The terraces on which its vines are grown are today the internationally recognisable image of this way of life and of the landscape that frames it. That is why, from the Ribeira Sacra Designation of Origin, the recovery of abandoned land has been promoted for the cultivation of the wines protected by its Regulatory Board.These are grouped under two designations:RIBEIRA SACRA SUMMUMThis is how reds are labelled when made with at least 85% preferred red varieties, with the Mencía variety making up at least 60% of the total.Also the white wines made with the preferred white varieties.RIBEIRA SACRAReds made with at least 70% preferred red varieties will be designated as Ribeira Sacra.
The Albariño grape
A high-quality variety destined to produce some of the greatest white wines on the planet. Of great expressiveness, versatility and character, it is a highly terpenic variety that can give rise to different aromas and textures, while always maintaining its particular personality: citrusy, incisive and mineral on granitic soils and cold climates; fruity and aromatic, sensual and unctuous on fertile soils and warm climates.
Its most distinctive feature is undoubtedly its acidity, a bold freshness that gives rise to electric, surprising and recognisable wines. It may not be a variety for all audiences, but its finesse, delicacy and elegance are undeniable
Experiences to enjoy in D.O. Ribeira Sacra
Discover this wine-growing region located along the banks of the Miño and Sil rivers.
