Wines of Galicia
Description
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Main Grape Varieties
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Visit five wine appellations in one trip: Four in Galicia and one in Castilla-León bordering Galicia. This trip includes visits to the top wineries to get to know Spain’s Albariño wines and the wines made from the red Mencia grape and the white Godello grape. A trip custom designed for the serious wine connoisseur!
Galicia, tucked away in Spain’s northwest corner, produces some of Spain’s most extraordinary wines. Rías Baixas is known for world-class white wines made from the Albariño grape. The vines are trained very high to reduce excess humidity on the grapes. Ribeiro produces mainly fresh white wines from Treixadura grape, with reds made from indigenous Souson and Brancellao grapes, among others. Ribeira Sacra is one of the most spectacular wine regions in Spain, with vines grown on terraces in steep-sided river valleys. Ribeira Sacra produces fruity reds with plenty of minerality mainly from Mencia, and citric whites with notes of herbs mainly from Godello. Valdeorras is famous for producing red Mencias and white Godellos, but from a flat riverside landscape and a continental climate. Although not technically in Galicia, El Bierzo is the spiritual home of the Mencia grape, producing reds with a little more body. El Bierzo has the highest percentage of old vines of any wine region in the world with more than half of them over 60 years old.
Highlights
- Visit five Galician wine appellations: Rías Baixas, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra, Valdeorras and Bierzo
- Explore the Renaissance city of Santaigo de Compostela
- Taste the traditional Galician products in the authentic market in Santiago
- The terraced Ribeira Sacra vineyards lining the river canyon are a dramatic illustration of “heroic” viticulture
- Visit and tasting at the Bierzo winery belonging to Spain’s highly acclaimed winemaker Raúl Pérez
Suggested Itinerary 5 Nights
Itineraries are hand crafted with extra care to create the right mix of food, wine, and culture for a memorable and unique experience. Here are some ideas and a sample itinerary. Contact us to get started.
Day 1 – Santiago de Compostela
- Gourmet tasting tour and market visit to Santiago’s Mercado de Abastos. Taste traditional Galician cheeses, charcuterie, empanadas, liqueurs and pastries
- Lunch at a modern market restaurant specializing in fresh seafood from the market
- Santiago walking tour and cathedral visit (which is the end of the Camino de Santiago for Camino walkers)
- Overnight Santiago de Compostela
Day 2 – Santiago de Compostela – Rio Baixas
- Transfer to the Albariño-producing Rías Baixas region near Santiago
- Visit and tasting at a much loved winery that is in a 16th-century manor house
- Seafood lunch in the historic village of Cambados
- Visit and tasting in a winery in an atmospheric 17th-century pazo, or palace
- Overnight Santiago de Compostela
Day 3 – Ribeiro – Monforte de Lemos – Ribeira Sacra
- Transfer to the Ribeiro wine region
- Visit a family-owned Ribeiro winery
- Drive to the stunning Ribeira Sacra wine region
- Cruise on the Sil River with views of impossible vineyards
- Visit a winery overlooking the river
- Dinner at a traditional restaurant in Monforte de Lemos
- Overnight Monforte de Lemos
Day 4 –Valdeorras – Villanueva del Bierzo – El Bierzo
- Visit a modern Ribeira Sacra winery whose vineyards include 100-year-old vines
- Traditional lunch in a Valdeorras Village
- Visit a Valdeorras winery producing Mencia (red) and Godello (white) wines, with some of the Godello grapes coming from a vineyard planted in 1885
- Visit the vineyards in a four-wheel drive and taste their wines at an enormous slate table built around an oak tree
- Drive to Villanueva del Bierzo, the spiritual heart of the Bierzo region for dinner and overnight
- Overnight Villanueva del Bierzo
Day 5 – Villanueva del Bierzo – El Bierzo
- Start the day tasting wine in a village with 100 inhabitants and 10 wineries
- Meet the winemaker known throughout Spain as the guru of the Mencia grape, Raúl Pérez, and taste his wines. Barrel tasting included
- Taste the wines at a boutique producer run by a winemaker from southern Spain
- Farewell wine dinner with old-vine Mencia and Godello wines
- Overnight Villanueva del Bierzo
Day 6 – Departure
- Transfer to the Santiago de Compostela airport for departure. Option to transfer to Madrid
Options
- Discover Alvarinho wines in the Vinho Verde region in northern Portugal. Dine in a 19th-century mansion turned winery near the Mino River which is the border between Spain and Portugal.
- Venture into the Duoro wine region to discover the acclaimed Douro wines. With Port wine for dessert!
- Stay in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Porto and visit the historic Port lodges where the wine was aged
- Add days in Spain’s Ribera del Duero wine region
- Extend your trip in Madrid visiting the world-class art museums, modern tapas restaurants and innovative cocktail bars