On Saturday 30th September we made our last winery visit to Adegas Algueira which is within the Ribeira Sacra appelation. However, before going to the winery itself we took a trip on a boat owned by the winery on the river Sil. It was just amazing looking up the impossible slopes where grapes are grown. Some of the gradients are as much as 85%. Of course we had a few glasses of wine and a few snacks to make the boat trip even more pleasant!


In the photo below you an see the rails that are used for transporting the grapes. Boxes are then placed on a platform which is pulled upwards with the help of a small motor and a metal cable.

At the winery we tasted 5 wines; 2 whites and 3 reds. One white was 100% Godello, the other pricipally Godello with some Albariño and Treixadura. Both wines are fresh, floral and mineral with plenty of fruit. The second wine with the blend of grapes has more depth to it. The reds were all made from the Mencia grape. The first we tried was a young wine, Algueira, It’s fresh, fruity and balsamic; very easy to drink. The second, Carrava,l is more complex. Along with the fruit the wine is balsamic and mineral with delicate tanins and a great freshness. My favourite of all those we tasted was the last one, Pizarra. This means slate in English and defines the ground where the vines are situated. This grapes for this wine are foot-crushed which is not very common these days! The wine undergoes 12 months ageing in French oak after whole cluster fermentation in troncoconical wooden vats. It is a very complex, pure expression of the Mencia grape. It is very mineral and has an aroma that reminds you of the smell of stones in the summer heat. The mouthfeel is silky and elegant with a very long finish. On getting back home I ordered a few bottles which are now in my wine fridge!


After the tasting we took a walk to a vantage point that looks up and down the Sil valley. The view as can be seen in the photos below is magnificent. This has to be one of the most beautiful areas anywhere for growing grapes. There is a wildness to it which I love.


After our walk, we had a great lunch at the restaurant attached to the winery, accompanied by a bottle of Alguiera Carravel. It was then back to Santiago de Compostela for the last night of our tour, which meant more food and more wine! I really hope I get the chance to run more wine tours to Galicia as everyone had a great time and I would love to repeat the experience.