Our Range

What is Vela Rias Baixas Albarino?

Vela is sourced from two vineyards in the finest sub-region of Rias Baixas, the Salnes Valley, and is made by Bodegas Gallegas without oak influence or malolactic fermentation. The style is modern and fruit driven with pristine fruit, delicate aromatics and fine acidity.

How is Vela made?

Vela is hand harvested in the cool early morning and transported quickly to the winery. The fruit is partially whole bunch fermented before three months maturation on lees in stainless steel with malolactic fermentation prevented. The winemaking philosophy is to showcase the purity and expression of the fruit with clean aromatics and bright natural acidity.

Who is Bodegas Gallegas?

Bodegas Gallegas is a family owned group of wineries founded over 50 years ago. Bodegas Gallegas has twenty acres of Albarino vines in the finest sub-region of Rias Baixas, the Salnes Valley. Bodegas Gallegas is managed by Myriam Vazquez and the wines are made by Jose Manuel Amigo.

Until recently, Bodegas Gallegas have focussed on the Spanish market with wines of traditional styling. Determined to succeed in export markets, Bodegas Gallegas have partnered with Fourth Wave Wine to launch Vela - a modern Rias Baixas Albarino. 

Where is Rias Baixas and what makes it special?

The remote region of Rias Baixas is in the province of Galicia, on the Atlantic coast in the far north west of Spain. The coastline is strikingly beautiful and dotted with fjord like inlets called Rias.

The region is totally different to the rest of Spain. Firstly due to its proximity to the coast, which has resulted in a long history of interaction with other culture s, particularly the Celts. Proximity to the Atlantic coast means that Galicia has a climate completely different to most of Spain, with high rainfall and moderate summer temperatures.

What is the history of winemaking in Rias Baixas?

Cistercian monks were making wine in Galicia from what is believed to be the Albarino grape in the 12th century and the tradition has continued to this day. However for much of this time, the wine was standard table wine made primarily for the local market.

The history of premium wine in Rias Baixas is much shorter, starting in the late 1970s when a desire to make the best possible wine led to planting in the Salnes Valley. The superior nature of this region and modern winemaking techniques led to the creation of the Albarino style we know today. Rias Baixas was given “Denominacion de Origen” status in 1988.

What makes the Salnes Valley special?

The Salnes Valley is located on the lower reaches of the river Umia and is centered around the town of Cambados. Due to its close proximity to the ocean, Salnes has lower summer temperatures than other areas in Rias Baixas, allowing the retention of delicate aromatics and acidity. In addition, the barren sandy soils of the Salnes Valley result in very low yielding vines, allowing fo concentration of flavour.

What was the 2010 vintage like?

2010 was an outstanding vintage – a once or twice in the decade kind of vintage.

Following a late and wet spring, summer conditions were consistently cool. Autumn was dry and moderate in temperature allowing for long, slow flavour development. The cloudless autumn conditions resulted in very cool nights, aiding the retention of natural acidity. The hallmark of 2010 is depth and elegance of flavour, lovely acidity and lifted aromatics.

How do you describe Albarino?

Albarino is classically described as “Viognier crossed with Riesling”.

That is, an upfront depth of mouth-filling floral flavours followed by beautiful mineral acidity. The richness of flavour allows Albarino to give full reward as a young wine and the acidity prevents the wine from becoming broad or heavy.

Why is most Albarino so expensive?

Albarino is expensive partially due to the wet, coastal climate making Rias Baixas an expensive place to grow grapes but primarily it is because most wineries in the region are very small – between 2 – 5 acres. Due to the small size, these wineries do not achieve any economy of scale and therefore need to charge high prices.

What does Vela mean?

Vela is the Galician word, derived from Latin, for a boat’s sails. The ocean off the Rias Baixas coastline is dotted with brightly coloured sails of all shapes and was chosen for this wine as a symbol of the indelible connection between the sea and Galician life.

What would you match Vela with?

Galician life revolves around the ocean and its abundant seafood, indeed the symbol of the region is the scallop shell. It should come as no surprise then that Albarino is perfectly matched to seafood. At its finest, it has the delicate mineral acidity perfect for subtle white fleshed fish but due to the rich floral flavours is versatile enough to partner with spicy seafood dishes.