Certified Origin Rías Baixas

Rías Baixas is a Certified Origin, in Spanish ”Denominación de Origen” (D.O.) for wines located in the province of Pontevedra and the south of the province of Corunna in the autonomous community of Galicia. It is renowned for its white wines made from the Albariño grape variety.

Nobody however would deny that the Cistercian monks that arrived in the 12th century (either on their pilgrimage to Santiago, or to accompany the Burgundy dynasty to Galicia for the wedding of Raymond of Burgundy and Queen Urraca), were the people who taught us how to tend our established grape varieties and get the best quality wines from them.

It was from these times onwards that Galicia’s wines began to be produced at its country estates or “pazos”. Only noble families could afford to use their lands for fine wine growing, since these families were better off and were not forced to devote all their land to subsistence farming.

By the 1980s, these grape varieties and the wines produced from them, had achieved widespread recognition, while the newly created Rías Baixas appellation and its Regulating Council (1984), enhanced the prestige of its wines and brought their outstanding quality to the attention of consumers.

A wine from the Rias Baixas Appellation -Albariño
Colour: Crystalline and brilliant. A straw-yellow hue with gold and green glints.

Nose: Medium intensity. Floral and fruity aromas. White flowers, citrus fruit, apple and stone fruit.

Palate: Fresh and balanced on the palate, unctuous with moderate, well integrated acidity and notes of fruit (apple and stone fruit). Well-structured. Intense fruit coming through, confirming the aromas found on the nose. A
lingering, flavoursome, fruity finish.

Food Pairings:
Rías Baixas wines are very versatile thanks to their balanced acidity and fruity aromas (among other qualities), which make them good to pair with numerous and all types of dishes. Pairing food with wine is of course an art, and this is where the Albariños of Rías Baixas demonstrate, among other excellent things, their ability to accompany a very wide range of gastronomic dishes.

*They go perfectly with fish and seafood, which are an integral part of our
regional gastronomy.
*They can accompany all types of appetisers, from canned savoury specialities to salted meat or fish delicacies, seafood fried in batter and different tapas morsels.
*They are perhaps the best wines to pair with sushi, and also with other rice based dishes, such as rice cooked in fish stock, black rice and mixed paella. Also with vegetable soups, fish, seafood and delicious “fideua”.
*They pair admirably (as few other wines do) with pasta served with spicy and flavoursome sauces and go wonderfully with cheese, particularly soft creamy cheeses and those made from goat’s milk and semi-cured sheep’s cheese.
*More classically, they can be enjoyed with all types of white meat, enhancing the food’s flavour, whether it is cooked on the griddle, stewed or in a fondue.

And finally, let’s sum up by saying that the food pairings mentioned are just our tips to help you enjoy Rías Baixas with different foods. However, each of us has our personal preferences and acquired tastes. Let yourself be guided by those, too.

Serving Temperature: Between 10 and 12ºC

Last harvests ratings of the Rias Baixas D.O. granted by its Regulatory Council are the following:

2008 Good 2009 Very Good 2010 Very Good
2011 Very Good 2012 Very Good 2013 Very Good
2014 Good 2015 Very Good 2016 Excellent
Certificado de Rias Baixas (Galicia)
Map of Rías Baixas (Galicia)