Ribeiro is a Spanish Denominación de Origen

Denominación de Origen

Denominación de Origen is part of a regulatory classification system primarily for Spanish wines but also for other foodstuffs like honey, meats and condiments. In wines it parallels the hierarchical system of France and Italy although Rioja and Sherry preceded the full system...

 (DO) (Denominación de Orixe in Galician

Galician language

Galician is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community located in northwestern Spain, where it is co-official with Castilian Spanish, as well as in border zones of the neighbouring territories of Asturias and Castile and León.Modern Galician and...

) for wines located in the northeast of the province of Ourense (Galicia, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

), in the valleys formed by the rivers Miño

Minho River

The Minho or Miño is the longest river in Galicia, Spain, with an extension of 340 km.Both names come from Latin Minius...

, Arnoia, Avia

Avia River

The Avia river is a tributary of the Miño River with a length of 36.7 km. It borns in the serra of the Suído at a height of 880 m., in the place called Fonte Avia . It follows an SO-NL direction after arriving to the artificial lake of Albarellos, between the municipalities of Leiro, Boborás...

 and Barbantiño. It has an area of 30 km² including 9 municipalities in their entirety and parts of four others.

History

Ribeiro has a long tradition of producing and exporting wine from the Galician Atlantic ports. It is believed that the first vineyards were planted by the ancient Romans. From the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

 up to the 18th century the area was renowned for its sweet wines (vinos tostados), which were produced here long before they were produced in the Canary Islands

Canary Islands

The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...

 or in Andalusia

Andalusia

Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...

. They were made from sun-dried grapes and were known as Ribadavia. They were drunk by the pilgrims passing through the area on their way to Santiago

Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...

. Significant quantities of white fortified Ribadavia wines were exported to England in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Nowadays, white Ribeiro wines are known for their fresh, slightly acidic, fruity character.

Soils

The vineyards are at altitudes of between 75 and 400 m above sea level in the valleys and on the slopes which can sometimes be very steep. The use of terraces (known locally as socalcos or bocaribeiras) is common.

The soils are deep (between 70 and 100 cm) and basically of granitic origin with a significant content of stones and gravel which improve the structure of the soil and reflect sunlight onto the vines.

The soil texture is mainly sandy. Organic matter content varies between 2% and 4%. The soils in the area have a tendency to acidify, and this is corrected by the grape growers.

Climate

The climate is a transition zone between oceanic and Mediterranean, so it is humid and temperate, with average annual temperatures of 14.5 °C. The grapes generally have no problem ripening and conserve all their aroma and acidity. In addition there are natural barriers that protect the area from Atlantic storms.

Average annual rainfall is high (950 mm) though there are three months in the summer when it is very sparse.
The vines receive a maximum of around 1900 hours of sunlight per year.

Grapes

White wine represents about 80% of the wine produced, and is most produced with the Treixadura variety which is native to the area. Other authorised white varieties are: Albariño

Albariño

Albariño or Alvarinho is a variety of white wine grape grown in Galicia , Monção and Melgaço , where it is used to make varietal white wines.Albariño is actually the Galician name for the grape...

, Godello

Godello

Godello is a white variety of wine grape grown in northwestern Spain, in particular in Galicia. The Gouveio found in northern Portugal is thought to be the same grape variety....

, Torrontés

Torrontes

Torrontés is a white Argentine wine grape variety, producing fresh, aromatic wines with moderate acidity, smooth texture and mouthfeel as well as distinctive peach and apricot aromas on the nose. Three Torrontés varieties exist in Argentina: Torrontés Riojano, the most common, Torrontés Sanjuanino,...

, Loureira

Loureira

Loureira, Loureiro or Loureiro Blanco is a white Spanish wine grape planted primarily in the Galicia region. It is also grown across the border in the Portuguese wine region of Minho where it is known as Loureiro and used in Vinho Verde...

, Macabeo

Macabeo

Viura, also called Macabeo or Macabeu is a white variety of wine grape.It is widely grown in the Rioja region of northeastern Spain, the Cava producing areas south of Barcelona, and the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France...

 and Albillo

Albillo

Albillo or Albillo Real is a white Spanish wine grape planted primarily in the Ribera del Duero region, and also in Madrid, Ávila and Galicia. The grape has mostly neutral flavors with a light perfume aroma. It has a high glycerol index which confers smoothness to the wines.It is sometimes added to...

.

Authorised red varieties are Caiño

Caino

Caino is a comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy located near Valle del Garza. It is bounded by other communes of Nave and Lumezzane....

, Ferrón

Ferron

Ferron, born Debby Foisy on , is a Canadian folk singer/songwriter and poet. In addition to being one of Canada's most famous folk musicians, she is one of the most influential writers and performers of women's music, and an important influence on later musicians such as Ani DiFranco, Mary Gauthier...

, Sousón, Brancellao, Mencía

Mencia

Mencía is a Spanish grape variety primarily found in the northwestern part of the country. It is planted on over , and it is primarily found in the Bierzo, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras regions....

, Garnacha

Grenache

Grenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively...

 and Tempranillo

Tempranillo

Tempranillo is a variety of black grape widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its native Spain. It is the main grape used in Rioja, and is often referred to as Spain's "noble grape". Its name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano , a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks...