📍 Ribeiro

Ribeiro is a wine zone in north-western Spain, in the province of Ourense in Galicia. The vineyards lie in the valleys of the Miño, Avia and Arnoia rivers. The district is part of Galicia, where the Atlantic climate is damp all around, so vines are planted on slopes and limited to about 450 metres of altitude.

In 1932 Ribeiro became one of the first Spanish appellations, and even earlier, in the Middle Ages, its wine was shipped to England, Flanders and Brittany. The soils often consist of decomposed granite, which in Galicia is called sábrego.

The main white grape is Treixadura. Beside it grow Godello, Lado, Torrontés, Caíño Blanco, Loureira and Albariño. From them come fresh, aromatic whites, made either from a single grape or as blends. There is less red: Caíño, Brancellao and other local grapes are used.

A special product of Ribeiro is "viño tostado", a protected wine from dried grapes. In the end Ribeiro is a quiet corner of Galicia where the white wines are built on blends of local grapes, not only on Albariño. A second regulation appeared in 1976 and was amended in 2004, adding protection for "viño tostado", a wine from dried grapes.