Last year, I completed a trifecta of sorts with the Wine Scholar Guild by passing the Spanish Wine Scholar exam with Highest Honors. For me, the Italian Wine Scholar Guild program was an essential stepping stone in my wine writing career, lending enormous context and understanding to how everything connected in Italy. Similarly, the French Wine Scholar program filled many the gaps in my understanding of France’s many wine regions. I completed the former in 2018, the latter in 2019.
It was a delight to assume the role of student once more, but studying Spain felt wholly different. With the exception of Sherry, winemaking styles were pretty straightforward. Plus, there are far fewer grapes to memorize, with massive gray areas of Grenache and Tempranillo anchoring the heart of the country.
But it was the geographical and cultural distinctions that, from afar, felt hardest to appreciate. For instance, I’ve been to Madrid, Castile and Léon, and Andalusia, but not Extremadura, Castile-La Mancha, Murcia and Valencia. On paper, the geography and soils of these four regions seemed relatively similar. And here is where I struggled. The more straightforward the wine region, the harder it was for me to study.
Conversely, the more complex and unique the region, the easier it as to wrap my head around. And because of this, I found myself particularly keen on Galicia, whose wines I’ve long adored.
If the Spain and Portugal look like a man wearing a football helmet, then this region is the forehead taking the brunt of the blows (in this case, the Atlantic Ocean’s weather). Galicia is the wettest of the nation’s 17 autonomous regions, and because of this, its grape varieties are completely different from the rest of the nation. Albariño leads on the white side while Mencía sets the standard on the red, but there are several others making their mark, particularly in the form of blended white wines,such as Treixadura, Godello, Torrontés and Loureira.
This wine is a collaboration between winemaker Alvaro Bueno and the Pastor-Gilabert (José Pastor is a noteworthy importer of Spanish wines). Hailing from Ribeiro, the oldest protected region for wine in Galicia, it features an intriguing blend of mostly Treixadura and Albariño, meaning it is full bodied yet silky and persistent at the same time. Some lees contact lends a hint of edgy flavor that reminded me of creme brûlée crust. It is a wild, elevated and exciting wine that should be sought out at all costs. Here in Denver, where I live, The Vineyard Wine Shop was carrying it a few weeks ago.
2022 Viños de Terruños “Pago Cativo O Forte” Ribeiro
Ribeiro DO (Galicia )
Grapes: Treixadura (50%), Albariño (20%), Godello (10%), Torrontés (10%), Caiño Blanco (10%)
Alcohol: 13%
Food-friendliness: Impeccable
Value: Very Good
A beginner might like … opening the door to the possibilities of Galician wine. You may know Rías Baixas Albariño, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.
A wine obsessive might like … hunting for hints of lees contact in this stainless-steel fermented wine. They’re in there, and they offer an intriguing edge to the silky refreshment of this stunning white blend.
