Rías Baixas
Cool, wet Atlantic
Galicia's Atlantic coast, cool and wet, where Albariño grows on granite and is trained overhead on pergolas.
Overview
About Rías Baixas
Rías Baixas is a DO in the far north-west of Spain, in the province of Pontevedra, on the flooded river valleys, the rías, of the Atlantic. Albariño makes up nearly all of its production, and gives dry, fragrant whites with high acidity and a salty edge.
The DO was created in 1988 and has five sub-zones. Val do Salnés, around Cambados, is the oldest and coolest.
Rías Baixas is marked on the map.
Spain
Shaded: Pontevedra. Map units are states, provinces or départements, so a smaller place appears as the larger area that contains it.
The land
Climate & terroir
Climate
Cool, wet Atlantic
Among the wettest wine areas in Spain, with mild temperatures moderated by the Atlantic. The damp encourages rot, so vines are trained high on pergolas.
Terroir & soils
What the vines grow in
Granite bedrock with sandy, acidic soils, and alluvial soils near the rivers.
Go deeper
Rules, years & producers
Rías Baixas is a single DO divided into five sub-zones, each with its own character.
Val do Salnés
The original, coolest and wettest area, around Cambados; almost all Albariño.
Condado do Tea
The warmest, furthest inland, along the Miño; with other grapes as well.
O Rosal
On the Miño estuary, near Portugal, with a milder climate.
Soutomaior and Ribeira do Ulla
Small, inland zones added later.
What's grown here
Grapes
Each grape's page links back here.