Wine Critic Beth Willard Tours Ribeira Sacra: Tasting and Visits to Nineteen Wineries
The Consello Regulador de la Denominación de Origen de la Ribeira Sacra welcomed Beth Willard, a wine critic and seasoned professional in the sector, who spent four days exploring the wines and wineries of this Denomination of Origin. Her visit, which took place from Thursday, November 7, to Sunday, November 10, included a tasting of 26 wines from various wineries at the Consello’s headquarters, as well as a tour of nineteen wineries across different subzones of Ribeira Sacra.
Beth Willard’s work on this visit is part of her activities as a collaborator with the platform of journalist and critic Tim Atkin. With a career spanning over 15 years focused on Spanish wines, Willard has specialized in wine tasting, evaluation, and analysis. She is also Co-Chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards and a contributor to Decanter magazine. Additionally, she frequently gives presentations and tastings of Spanish wines and is a member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino (Grand Order of the Knights of Wine).
During her visit to Ribeira Sacra, Beth Willard aimed to delve deeply into the D.O.’s offerings through an in-depth tour of the wineries and a comprehensive tasting that allowed her to gather detailed insights and evaluations. The results of this work will be published on Tim Atkin’s website, a platform that provides detailed reports on various wine-producing areas in Spain and internationally. These reports, prepared by Atkin and his collaborators, are considered a reference resource in the sector, providing professional and up-to-date assessments of wines from diverse regions.
For the Consello Regulador, Willard’s visit reinforces the ongoing interest in the wines of Ribeira Sacra and aligns with the goal of positioning its wines as a standard of quality and authenticity.