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Discover the Red Wines of Galicia

When we think of Galician wines the white grapes Albariño or possibly Godello come to mind. Yet there are many wonderful red wines to discover, as I did on a recent trip to the region. The most important areas where red grapes are grown are Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra and Monterrei.

In general the wines from Ribeiro are fresher and lighter bodied, similar in stye to the wines from the Loire Valley, because during the summer the vineyards are cooled by the wind from the Atlantic and the grapes do not become overripe and lose their acidity. Those from Ribera Sacra are medium bodied with riper red fruit flavours, while Monterrei, which is further inland and much warmer during the summer months with little influence from the sea, produces more full bodied wines with less acidity. The red wines from the whole region are benefitting from climate change as the warmer summers are resulting in riper grapes producing wines that are less acidic and fruitier.

Historically, it was for red wine that the North West corner of Spain was best known. In his novels Cervantes wrote of the splendour of the wines of Ribeiro, while the English valued the wines for their high acidity, important to keep the wines fresh during long sea voyages, before they discovered the fortified wines of Jerez. At the beginning of the 20th century, phylloxera destroyed most of the vineyards and when the vineyards were replanted farmers planted the white Palomino grape, which was considered to be more resistant to disease and highly productive, a fact that was important to the subsistence style of farming of the time.

The decline of the production and consumption of red wines from Galicia continued until the beginning of the 1970’s when a new generation of growers began to rediscover many of the native grape varieties that had been abandoned. Today there are some 65 native Galician grape varieties, many of which are reds. Mencía, strictly speaking is from Bierzo but historically was also part of Galicia, is the most well known red grape variety. Some less known grapes to look out for are Caíño, Sousón and Brancellao.

While in Vigo I had the opportunity to taste quite a few red wines from the region and was very impressed by the quality. In my opinion a good quality red from Ribeira is one of the most versatile food wines. They are dry, light bodied, fresh with a naturally high acidity and low tannins so they can be used to accompany a wide range of fish and meat dishes.

Here are some suggestion of really good Galician reds. Algueira Mencia 2018 from Bodegas Algueira in Ribeira Sacra, a light bodied wine full of red and black fruit flavours, strawberry, raspberry and cranberry, blackcurrant with a hint of black pepper. A Torna Dos Pasás, made by Luis Anxo Rodríguez in Ribeiro, made from the native grapes Brancellao, Caíño and Ferrón. It is similar in style to the Algueira but with more body. Quinta da Muradella ‘Alanda Tinto’ which is made from the grapes Bastardo (what a great name!), Caíño, Redondo, Mencía, Sousón and Araúxa. This is a great wine, if you can find it I suggest you it. Finally for now, Lomba dos Ares which is made by Fedellos do Couto in Ribeira Sacra from the grapes Mencía, Mouratón, Merenzao, Garnacha and Caiño. I had this wine with dinner on my last night in Vigo.

It was a fascinating trip and I am already looking forward to planning the next one to learn more about the red wines of Galicia.

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I am a Northern Irishman based in Valencia. My career in wine began more than three decades ago, in London. I am the founder of TheWinePlace.es, an online store, where wine enthusiasts can enjoy a selection of international wines and Verde Marte, a company dedicated to exporting Spanish wines. Also, Thewineplace.courses, an "approved program provider" of the courses of the prestigious WSET. I share my passion for wines through my media work writing weekly columns for the Spanish newspaper El Mundo and 5 Barricas, an online wine magazine.

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