by Gerry Dawes. Decanter
Galicia,s terroir-Driven wines
Galiciaâ??s soil, Atlantic climate, varied mountain and seacoast
mesoclimates, unique grape varieties, and individual winemakers
(many of whom are women) are important in achieving a wide
diversity of white-wine types and styles that invite comparison to
French wines. Potentially these Galician white wines made in the
Denominaciones de Origen (or DOs, Spainâ??s equivalent of Franceâ??s
Appelations dâ??Origine Contrôlée or AOCs) Monterrei, Valdeorras,
Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro, and the best known of all, RÃas Baixas,
can be on a par with the wines of Franceâ??s Loire Valley, Alsace,
and even Burgundy.
Ribeira Sacra may well be the most
beautiful wine region on the planet.
Producers here are just beginning to surface,
and most of the wines are predominantly
red. Depending on the specific area in
Ribeira Sacra where the grapes are sourced,
some wines have the potential of great
Burgundy while others are reminiscent of
the best Cabernet Francâ??based wines of the
Loire. The whites are made from Godello,
grown on this same slate and schist, and
their potential is mind-boggling. One bottle of Pena
Das Donas Alma Larga Godello, though still a work in
progress, will send you mumbling off into the night
wondering when will be the next time you will get to
enjoy a wine with such an incredible, terroir-laced, grand
cru white Burgundy-like finish.
By now most American wine buyers and
consumers are well aware of RÃas Baixas
Albariños, so much so that the United
States has become the regionâ??s biggest
export market. But fewer restaurant
patrons are aware that world-class whites
wait in the wings of the Galician wine
stage. As Roger Kugler, wine director
at New York Cityâ??s Suba and Boqueria
restaurants, points out, â??Valdeorras,
Monterrei, Ribeiro, and Ribeira Sacra
donâ??t have the recognition or identity yet
that RÃas Baixas enjoys, so guests have
to be led to those wines. Ribeira Sacra,
however, is one of the most exciting
regions to come to light in recent memory.
Already the wines have a clear identity
(this is the terroir singing out). Even the
wines that contradict rational thinking
(oaked Godellos, for instance) have been
interesting. . . . This could be the next
great wine region of the world.â?