Fefiñanes Albariño, Rías Baixas 2023

This winery dates back to 1904 and is famed for being the first to bottle albariño, in 1928. It was also the first to bottle wines labelled as Rías Baixas, the increasingly popular appellation in Spain’s north-western Galicia region, and one that is now famed for its albariño. Fefiñanes albarino stands out for its finesse and delicacy, and is regarded by many as a benchmark.

The bodega’s name is a nod to its enviable location as part of a 17th century palace on Plaza de Fefiñanes, a beautiful square in the coastal town of Cambados. It is owned by highly respected winemaker Juan Gil, although he entrusts the winemaking to the talented Cristina Mantilla, who also consults at several other prestigious estates in Galicia.

The team sources its grapes from 66 families of local, respected growers. The vines have an average age of over 40 years – although some are well over 100 – and are all trained on trellises and planted on sandy soils with some limestone and clay.

The vineyards are grown at heights not much above sea level, some of which are very close to the ría, and for this reason frosts are extremely rare as the climate is warm, damp and Atlantic, with an average rainfall of about 1500 ml. However, most of this rain falls during the winter months, and the summers tend to be very dry, which, together with the splendid sunshine, allows the grapes to ripen brilliantly.