Wine tasting
The Camino de Santiago is also a good way to try out the Galician wines. The Camino has actually influenced the way the Galician wines has developer. Wine has been made in Galicia for the last 2000 years.
Even if Ribeiro was one of the important exporters of wine during the middle ages, it was not until recently (in the 1980’s) that an export industry was created based on this wine. Today Galicia has five appellations of origin: Rías Baixas, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra, Monterrei and Valdeorras.
Who does not know Albariño? This white wine is recognized around the world and it is part of the Rías Baixas appellation of origin that was created in 1988 in the province of Pontevedra. It has five sub areas: Val do Salnés, Condado de Tea, O Rosal, Soutomaior and Ribeira do Ulla.
The área of Val do Salnés has its center in Cambados and includes also teh municipalities of Meaño, Sanxenso, Ribadumia, Meis, Vilanova de Aurosa, A Illa de Aurosa, Portas, Caldas de Reis, Vilagracía de Aurosa and O Grove y Barro.
The county of Tea extends on teh right side of the river Miño, until the border of the province of Ourense. It includes the municipalities of Salvaterra de Miño, As Neves, Arbo, Crecente, Salceda de Caselas, Ponteareas, A Cañiza, Tui and Mos.
O Rosal is in Baixo Miño, a part of Pontevedra that borders to Portugal. It includes the municipalicies of O Rosal, Tomiño, A Guarda, Tui and Gondomar.
The area below Soutomaior, in the municipality with the same name, is situated by the river Verdugo, only 10 kilometers from the city of Pontevedra.
Ribeira do Ulla ende up in the municipality of Vedra and the towns of Padrón, Teo, Boqueixón, Touro, A Estrada, San Xurxo de Vea, Silleda and Vila de Cruces
This appellation of origin located in the east in the province of Ourense where the 3 ricers Miño, Avia and Arnoia meets up. It was constituted in 1976 and extends to the municipalities of Ribadavia, Arnoia, Castrelo de Miño, Carballeda de Avia, Leiro, Cenlle, Beade, Punxín y Cortegada, and to various parishes in the area of Carballiño, Boborás, Ourense, Toén and San Amaro.
The Ribeiro wines are the wines with the most tradition on Galicia. The first references of this wine are from the middle of the 2nd century after Christ. During the Middle Ages was when this wine really got known, much thanks to the Camino de Santiago.
Constituted in 1977, it is located in the north of Ourense and south of Lugo. This area follows the river Síl until it joins the river Miño and from there until Porrtomarín. It is devided into five sub areas, Quiroga-Bibei, Amandi, Chantada and Ribeira do Miño (in Lugo) and Ribeira do Sil in Ourense.
Quiroga-Bibei cobres the municipalities of Monforte de Lemos, Pobra de Brollón, Quiroga, Ribas de Sil, A Pobra de Trives, Manzaneda and San Xoán de Río.
Amandi ocupies the area of Sober and Monforte de Lemos, and Chantada the municipalities of Portomarín, Carballedo y A Peroxa.
Ribeiras do Miño covers the municipalities of Paradela, O Saviñao, Pantón, Sober and Monforte de Lemos.
Ribeiras do Sil incluyes the municipalities of A Teixeira, Parada de Sil, Castro Caldelas and Nogueira de Ramuín.
This area is located in the south of the province of Ourense, on the border to Portugal. It is located by the river Támega. It was created in 1986 but its winemaking traditions goes way back.
As with the Ribeiro, this wine was a big export article in medieval times. There are two sub areas, Val de Monterrei and Ladeira de Monterrei, in the municipalities of Castrelo do Val, Monterrei, Oimbra and Verín.
This appellation of origin is located in the north western part of the province of Ourense, in the valleys that has been created by the river Sil and Xares. The municipalities that belong to this area are A Rúa de Valdeorras, Carballeda de Valdeorras, Larouco, O Barco de Valdeorras, O Bolo, Petín, Rubiá and Vilamartín de Valdeorras. This appellation was created in 1977, making it one of the oldest in Galicia.
In this tour of the various appellations of origin one can see that the production of wine has had a strong connection with the Camino de Santiago.
