Open day at the winery

Open day at the winery

On saturday May 26th (2012) more than 60 Galicia wineries will celebrate “Open Day” were wine lovers can stop by and get a tour of these wineries. The participating wineries are located in the regions of Monterrei, O Ribeiro, Rías  Baixas, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras. Please consult this pdf document for details of each of these wineries (the document is in Gallego but all wineries listed are participating).

In addition to the wineries opening up their doors this day, the local restaurants also have decided to do something special. Each of them (also listed in the pdf document above) will have a special menu for visitors (including local wines), costing €25. A children’s menu for €10,- for those under 12 years of age will also be available.

In Ribadavia and Monforte there will also be guided tours of the old town.

All should be set for a great saturday, enjoying Galician cuisine!

O Ribeiro

O Ribeiro

Ruta del Vino de O Ribeiro
Travesía do Ribeiro, 3 BJ
32400 Ribadavia. Ourense
Tel: +34 988 472 044
Fax: +34 988 472 240
www.rutadelvinoribeiro.com
info@rutadelvinoribeiro.com

O Ribeiro is situated in the most western part of the province of Ourense, in the confluence of the Miño, Avia, Arnoia and Barbantiño River valleys. This location is what singles out these lands and gives them and outstanding natural beauty. O Ribeira has been very active from ancient times, proof of this is the existence of Roman roads, gold panning sites, etc.; the first documented citations that define it as a distinguished region are dated on the year 928. Since the Middle Ages, this land and its people have been intimately linked to wine farming and the production of their characteristic wines, being the principal reference of wine-producing of the Christian kingdoms since the IX century till the 17th. This territory is considered one of the sites most representative of Galician architecture, and boasts a beautifully preserved artistic heritage. In its medieval villages you can visit forts, jewish quarters (Ribadavia, with its Festa da Istoria in August), Manors (Pazos de Arenteiro), monasteries and churches perfectly integrated with the landscape of water and wine. Continue reading »

Rías Baixas

Rias Baixas

Ruta do Viño Rías Baixas
Paseo da Calzada s/n
36630 Cambados (Pontevedra)
Tel: 986 521 012 / 687 523 230
Fax: 986 090 335

www.rutadelvinoriasbaixas.com
info@rutadelvinoriasbaixas.com

Tradition narrates that the farming of the vine en the Rías Baixas is due to the monks of the Cistercian monastery of Armenteira (Meis), although science reveals that viticulture already existed much before the monks arrived and that the varieties like Albariño are originally from this area. Nowadays the Rías Baixas have the greatest Galician Designation of Origin, not only because of the number of wineries but also because of the extention of the vineyards, which are found along 33 municipalities of the western half of Galicia. As so, the Designation of Origin Rías Baixas is formed by 5 subareas (O Rosal, Condado de Tea, Soutomaior, Val do Salnés and Ribeira de Ulla) that form part of a discontinuous territory that from the south limit of the province of Pontevedra, goes along splashing with vineyards the Atlantic coast of Galicia till it reaches the southern part of the province of A Coruña. Continue reading »

Ribeira Sacra

The Ribeira Sacra is formed by a group of 20 municipalities belonging to the southern part of the province of Lugo and the northern part of Ourense, both in the inland of Galicia. The element that brings them together is the watercourse of the Miño, Sil and Cabe Rivers. That flow to their confluence through throats and canyons with a strong verticality, forming a unique landscape and a singular land. The result of this legacy is the Sil and Miño land, with a valuable heritage of monasteries – which irradiated art, culture and progress to all of Galicia. Hence the name Ribeira Sacra (Rivoyra Sacrata), of which there is evidence since the XII century; all along it we can find monasteries like those of San Estevo de Ribas de Sil (today it’s a Parador), Santa Cristina, San Pedro de Rocas, Xunqueira de Espadanedo, Montederramo, Ferreira de Pantón, churches such as those of San Paio de Diomondi, San Miguel de Eiré,…. – . In this territory we also find dolmens and megalithic tombs that evidence a very early settlement, continuing with important traces of a Roman presence. The spectacular viewpoints over the Cañón del Sil (Sil River canyons) is a must to admire the monumental landscape. On the sunny banks the vineyards descend in terraces almost up to the river while a growth of oaks, chestnuts and birches complement from the other bank of the river the chromatic richness of the panorama; the particularity and difficulty of this orography lets us talk about the Heroic Viticulture of the Ribeira Sacra . Continue reading »

Valdeorras Wine Route

Valdeorras is the most Eastern region of the province of Ourense, limiting with León. The wealth in natural resources and the lands fertility made Valdeorras a reception area of many peoples along history. There are abundant remains from the megalithic era in the Natural Park of the “Serra da Enciña da Lastra”, besides the rock strokes and the petroglyphs of Valdegodos, Petín and San Esteban de A Rúa Vella. The arrival of the Romans substantially changed the valley, because they moved population centers to the plains and built one of the most important roads of the Iberian Peninsula, the “Vía XVIII” or “Vía Nova” [later used as Camino Real or Camino de Invierno (Winter Way) on the Saint James Way].

Bridges like those of the Bibei River, tombstones like that of A Rúa Vella, A Cigarrosa’s mosaics and milestones, form part of the Roman imperial legacy; although its most singular piece of work is the tunnel at Montefurado, excavated in order to divert the river’s course to extract the gold it dragged and today it is a place with a great touristic attraction and can be seen from a few meters above from the N-120 road. Subsequently, in the XVII century the spectacular Sanctuary of As Ermitas stands out surrounded by ancient terraced vineyards, that nowadays have become one of the most important places of cult in this area. The region is composed by nine municipalities: A Rúa, O Barco, Rubiá, Petin, O Bolo, Carballeda, Larouco, Vilamartín and A Veiga. Almost all of them have wine farms that give this territory a unique singularity. Continue reading »

Walking among vineyards in Galicia

The vine and the wine are part of the historic, cultural and also landscape identity of Galicia, making the wine sector a key-stone of the Galician food complex, which is fundamentally organized around the five designations of origin that exist: Monterrei, Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro and Valdeorras. Albariño, Godello, Mencía, Treixadura… are varieties of grapes that follow one another along the territories. Flavours with designation of origin, modern wines with great personality, suitable for every palate and for any occasion. We invite you to discover the suggestive landscapes of the viticulture of Galicia, the magic of a territory wrapped up in fragrances and colors that change with each season, to visit century old wineries and other forefront ones, to stay in cosy rural establishments, to taste the gastronomy of each area combined with the best wines…..close your eyes, dream with Galicia, we invite you to walk among vineyards.

Operational Programme: Cross-Border Cooperation Spain-Portugal

The project “The Wine Routes of the Euro-region Galicia-Northern Portugal” is co-funded by FEDER (European Fund for Regional Development) through the Operational Programme of Cross Border Cooperation between Portugal and Spain. The project aim is to create, train and promote the “Wine Routes of the Euro-region Galicia-Northern Portugal” as a means of public-private cooperation improving the competitiveness of the wine industry and the development of wine tourism, as well as enhancing the cultural identity of the Euro-region.

A wine route is “a tourism product organized around the main theme of wine and located in a specific area identified with a wine appellation of origin (DO). The routes include enological, cultural and picturesque features of interest, among which may be found, in addition to wineries, other establishments that provide catering services, accommodation, education and entertainment and leisure, meeting the relevant requirements connected to that route.” Therefore, it is the SMEs that are the ultimate beneficiaries of the project.

Actions will be structured around four activities:

- Diagnosis and design of the product and the brand *Wine Route*, which includes two actions: the establishment of a market study on wine tourism and the development of the product manual Wine Routes.

- Creation and / or consolidation of structures for public-private cooperation: forming a management unit in each route, as well as a steering committee of the Euro-region routes.

- Instruction and product development, organizing training courses for technical staff of the management units and seminars in each of the DO regions aimed at wineries, other SMEs and local authorities attached to each route.

- Tools, promotion and internationalisation: brand promotion, website, promotional activities, signage and joint assistance of national and international fairs.

The geographical area of intervention is that corresponding to the municipalities included in the five Galician Guarantee of Origin (Rias Baixas, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra, Monterrei, and Valdeorras) along with the Guarantee of Origin Vinho Verde in Northern Portugal, participating wine territories that have recently, formed their managing body (Rias Baixas, Ribeiro, the Vinho Verde), with varying degrees of consolidation, with others who aim have formed during the project phase.

The project is expected to improve the competitiveness of wine as a strategic resource of the Galician and Northern Portuguese economies, to improve public-private cooperation, the internationalization of SMEs, increase wine tourism, and contribute to the diversification of rural areas.

Project members
Boss field: Axencia Galega de Desenvolvemento Rural (Galicia)

Partner: Turgalicia (Galicia)

Partner: Concello de Ribadavia (Galicia)

Partner: Comisión de Viticultura de Regiao dos Vinhos Verdes (Portugal)