Rías Baixas: Beyond Albariño

«I started out helping my father over 30 years ago. I was on another career path, but I gradually fell in love with this exciting world thanks to his enthusiasm and the beauty of O Rosal. It’s a magical place: unique.»

These are the words with which Rosa Ruiz explains her beginnings in the winemaking project that her father started, one of driving forces behind the creation of the Rias Baixas Designation of Origin, revolutionising the way wine was made in the area.

O Rosal is located in the far southwest of the Pontevedra province, on the banks of the Miño River as it flows towards the river estuary. This is a gentle valley, strongly influenced by the Miño River on the last kilometres of its calm journey towards the Atlantic. We don’t know why, but in the vineyard you can sense the magic that Rosa Ruiz mentioned. The warm summer breezes from the Atlantic, together with the gentle slopes that face the evening sun create an ideal situation for vine growing, with the grapes reaching a fantastic level of ripeness towards the end of the cycle.

Although fans of wines from the D.O. Rías Baixas believe that these wines are only made from Albariño, in truth they can be blends of several varieties. To be specific, Rías Baixas wines from Rosal should made from a majority of Albariño and Loureiro, and can include up to 30% of varieties such as Treixadura, Caiño Blanco, Torrontés and Godello, which are the only grapes permitted by the Regulatory Council and are grown in the O Rosal subzone, near to the winery where they are transformed into wine.

Albariño is one of the oldest grapes grown in the Iberian penisular and it is without doubt the queen of the Designation of Origin. Alonside it there are another four varieties that offset, balance and add complex aromas and flavours to our wines.

Treixadura provides us with aromatic, fine and elegant wines. It is fruity and floral on the nose. The alcohol and acidity are balanced, resulting in fresh and full-flavoured wines. Loureira – the Galician word for bay leaves – adds aromas of aromatic herbs and fresh grass. It is a grape with a high level of acidity that produces perfumed, flavourful and acidic wines. It adds complexity and freshness to the blend. Caiño Blanco is characterised by its very complex aromas: the aromatic palette runs from fruit to mineral notes. With high potential alcohol, the wines are structured, full-bodied and with very good acidity on the palate. Finally, Godello produces fine, delicate yet full-bodied wines, with fresh and very well balanced floral and citrus notes.

This overview of the place and the varieties that are part of the character of our wines should help you understand its complexity and show you that the Rias Baixas Designation of Origin – specifically the O Rosal subzone – offers so much more than Albariño.

Santiago Ruiz, a wine that contains five varieties and a lot of love.

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