Ribeira Sacra Denominación de Origen (DO)
the “heroic viniculture”
The Ribeira Sacra DO is an area of Galicia between the provinces of Lugo and Orense, where heroic viticulture takes on its full meaning. It is an area where wine grows in steep terraces on the banks of the Miño and Sil rivers, harvesting is a matter of expertise.
Ribeira Sacra is a wine-producing area with an area of 2,500 hectares of vineyards. In total, it accounts for 5.2% of the land dedicated to vines in Galicia.
This denomination includes parishes and places in 20 municipalities located along the banks of the Miño and Sil rivers.
It is divided into five distinct subzones, the Amandí, the Chantada, the Quiroga-Bibei, the Ribeiras do Miño and the Ribeiras do Sil respectively. The area devoted to the cultivation of vines in all of them is restricted to that located on the riverbank.
Ribeira Sacra wine is mainly red wine. Mostly made with the Mencía variety, they are expressive, elegant wines, with great acidity. The white wines of the Ribeira Sacra are mainly made from the Godello and Albariño varieties.
They are wines with a good volume on the palate, aromatic and fruity. Among the preferred white varieties are also Loureira, Treixadura, Dona Branca, Torrontés, Branco Lexítimo and Caiño Branco.
Among the preferred reds, in addition to Mencía, we can find Brancellao, Merenzao, Sousón, Caiño Tinto, Caiño Longo and Caiño Bravo. Rounding out the list of authorised reds are Garnacha Tintorera, Mouratón, Tempranillo and Gran Negro.
The climate is present in the Minho Valley with a rainfall of 900 mm per year and an average temperature of 14ºC. The Sil Valley has a somewhat lower rainfall of 700 mm and an average temperature of 13ºC.
In terms of soil types, the Miño valley has soils that are like those of granitic origin that dominate throughout western Galicia, with sandy and silty fractions, fresh and permeable.
The valleys of the Sil are of oriental typology, with an abundance of clays, although the soil of the terraces has significantly improved the quality of the original soil.
Heroic viticulture
In Ribeira Sacra, given the steepness of the landscape, the so-called “heroic viticulture” takes place. The name comes from the epic work of the winegrowers, with steep terrain on the banks of the Sil and Miño rivers.
The distribution of the vineyard on terraces to bridge the slope of the land prevents its mechanization. The landscape is marked by the “socalcos”, which are terraced vineyards that adorn the banks of the river canyons.
They are vineyards that are built stone by stone on the steep slopes. The multiple orientations that look at the ravines of the riverbeds and streams favor diversity. A diversity of both types of vines and its peculiar and beautiful landscapes.
Most of the work is done handcrafted. This allows to speak of heroic viticulture. With the exception of specific lanes in some vineyards to move boxes during the harvest, all the work is done manually by winegrowers and winemakers. Here, moving between the strains is an exercise in acrobatics.
