Description
In a country noted for its dramatic vineyard settings, Galicia surely drew the longest straw of them all. These ancient, high-altitude and rocky winelands were established—for good reason—as far back as 2000 years ago, long before the hardships that left Spain’s most exciting terroirs abandoned for decades or longer.
Fernando González Riveiro had lived in the region we know as Ribeira Sacra for much of his life. Yet, it was not until he met his wine Ana Perez—whose family farmed a smallholding of vines—that he even became aware of his region’s millennia-old relationship with grape growing. What González found under the vertiginous and densely forested slopes of Amandi and elsewhere in the region would blow his mind: hundreds of abandoned stone terraces, a once-proud legacy of a viticultural history stretching back to the Roman times. Some 30 years later, after restoring just a fraction of these ancient vineyards, the beauty and poise of Algueira’s wines joust the very best of Europe.
González’s tale is symbolic of many who are today painstakingly reclaiming their vinous heritage; Spain (and Bibendum’s portfolio) is littered with similar stories where the collision of the ancient and the modern is proving as exciting as it is irresistible. Through our offer today, we hope to shine a light on some of these remarkable wines and the narrative behind them.
Valdesil > Valdeorras
It may represent just a pinprick on the Spanish wine map, yet the mineral and slate-rich mountainous region of Valdeorras has emerged as one of Europe’s most exciting white wine regions.
No grower’s history is as entirely intertwined with the region or its signature grape variety of Godello as the Prada-Gayoso family. Valdesil’s wines are products of organic practice, old vines and low yields. They are naturally fermented, aged on lees and bottled unfiltered. Expect textural, mineral-etched Godello-based whites with a weight and mouthfeel that resemble that of quality white Burgundy.
Meanwhile, Valdesil’s Mencías are the kind of juicy, thirst-quenching and mineral-scented reds that wine bars were made for. All the wines offer the kind of finesse, interest and sense of place found only in the wines of the very best grower-producers of northern Spain
