The Rías Baixas district is located in the Galicia region of Spain, which occupies the northwest corner of the country, separated from Portugal to the south by the Miño River. Established in 1988, the Rías Baixas D.O. is divided into five subzones with a collective area of just 7,388 acres. The oldest subzones are Condado de Tea, with 1,048 acres, and O Rosal, with 647 acres. Situated along the right bank of the Miño, these two areas have a long history of producing traditionally-styled wines. Val do Salnés was the first subzone to focus on pure varietal Albariño wines produced in a fresh, modern style. Lying directly on the Atlantic coast, it covers 3,150 acres with the greatest area under vine, and its principal city, the port of Cambados, is the D.O.’s center of production. Tiny Soutomaior, with 75 acres of vineyards brought under the denomination in May of 2000, lies slightly inland and to the south of Val do Salnés. Ribera do Ulla, just to the northeast of Val do Salnés, was also demarcated in 2000, with 2,470 acres. As of 2005, virtually all of the total potential vineyard acreage was planted.

Evidence of indigenous vines in Galicia dates to 5,000 B.C., and of vines imported by the Carthaginians and Greeks to the first millenium B.C. Though the region’s name derives from the old French Gaul, its first settlers were Celts who colonized the coastal areas around the sixth century B.C. The Celtic culture has persisted through Roman, Visigoth and Moorish incursions, assimilation into the kingdom of Asturias in the ninth century and incorporation into Spain in 1492. During the Crusades in the tenth and eleventh centuries, Christianity also left its indelible mark on Galicia in the city and cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The cathedral was the final destination on the Camino de Santiago, followed by pilgrims from points as far distant as Rome who came to pay homage at the tomb of St. James the Greater, Apostle of Spain. Despite this, the local dialect, Gallego, is closely related to Portuguese.

The Albariño grape is the foundation of Rías Baixas production, representing 92 percent of plantings. The region’s other varieties are principally white vines, largely represented by Treixadura and Loureira. History suggests that French monks from the Abbey of Cluny who came to Galicia at the invitation of Alfonso VII of Asturias in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries brought the Albariño grape to the region. This line of thought also suggests that the aromatic variety they planted at Armenteira and other Cistercian monasteries was related to Riesling, but no genetic connection has been established. The most probable assumption is that Albariño is indigenous to Galicia. In any event, Albariño is the grape that in the 1980s sparked the surge of Spain’s white wines in the world market.

Rías Baixas is one of the coolest, and by a substantial margin the wettest, area of Spain. Rainfall averages 1,400 mm a year but can be considerably higher along the coast, well over three times the average rainfall of 400 mm in the Alicante and Valencia. Similarly, sunlight hours are less than two thirds that in Jerez, and summer lasts a short two months. Ripening and mold are therefore both problems, addressed in large part by training the vines on pergolas, which maximize sunlight exposure and allow circulation of air from Atlantic breezes around the grape clusters. Average yield in the appellation is a scant 27 hectoliters per hectare (121.4 cases per acre), reaching 50 in the rare vintage.

Topography rises from the coastline at Val do Salnés, at sea level, to a rugged hilly interior reaching 750 feet above sea level in Condado de Tea, with a slight corresponding rise in temperature and drop in humidity. O Rosal is an area of alluvial, terraced vineyards on estuary of the Miño River. Soils are predominantly clay and sand over a granitic subsoil, with areas of slate and chalk further inland. For these reasons, D.O. regulations vary among subzones. In Val do Salnés, Soutomaior and Ribera do Ulla, wines labelled Rías Baixas Albariño must contain at least 70 percent Albariño. In Condado de Tea, 70 percent of the blend must be Albariño and Treixadura in any combination; and in O Rosal, 70 percent Albariño and Loureira. Permitted accessory varieties are Caiño, Torrontés and Godello. In practice, however, most producers confine their blends to Albariño alone. Permitted red varieties, representing only a third of one percent of plantings, are Caiño Tinto, Espadeiro, Loureira Tinta, Sousón, Brancellao and Mencía.

A discussion of Rías Baixas would not be complete without mention of Dña Maria Soledad Bueno, President of the D.O. and the force behind its founding in 1988. Her determination and intelligence have been critical in establishing Rías Baixas as Spain’s most prestigious white wine region. Bodegas belonging to the appellation are required to invest in state of the art production, including stainless steel vats and temperature control, resulting in an extremely high level of consistency and quality throughout the D.O.