Galicia wine explained. Albariño, Godello and the green coast of Spain.

Atlantic Spain

Galicia sits in the northwest corner of Spain, bordered by the Atlantic to the north and west and by Portugal to the south. The ocean makes it one of Spain's wettest regions, but there is enough sunshine to ripen the grapes. The Romans brought vines, and medieval monks built a wine culture based on local varieties. After a long decline, when many Galicians emigrated and vineyards were abandoned, investment after Spain joined the European Union in 1986 helped spark a revival.

In this episode of WineMasters Class, Susie Barrie MW and Andreas Larsson, Best Sommelier of the World 2007, guide you through Galicia's five DOs: Rías Baixas, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra, Valdeorras and Monterrei. Susie remembers her first lunch in Cambados, with queen scallops, octopus and local Albariño, as pure magic.

Rías Baixas and Albariño

Rías Baixas runs along the Atlantic coast and takes its name from the rías, the coastal inlets that shape the landscape. Vineyards are often trained on high pergolas so that air can circulate around the grapes in the damp climate. The soils are based on decomposed granite, and the hosts have a real soil profile sent from the region to show you. Vineyards are tiny and owned by many small growers.

Albariño makes up the vast majority of production. It is a fairly thick-skinned white grape that gives aromatic wines with citrus, green apple, stone fruit, fresh acidity and often a gentle note of salinity. Of the five subzones, remember Val do Salnés, the coolest and wettest, and O Rosal, a warmer area on the Miño River where Albariño is often blended with Loureiro, Treixadura or Caíño Blanco.

Godello, Mencía and the inland DOs

Inland, Valdeorras, the valley of gold, has terraced slate vineyards above the Sil River. Its star is Godello, a grape that was nearly extinct before a recovery program began in the late 1970s. Godello shows grapefruit, quince, apricot, herbs and a stony note, and some producers make admired barrel-fermented versions.

Ribeira Sacra, the sacred riverbank, is red wine country. Mencía grows on steep terraces above the Miño and Sil rivers, where the work is so hard it is called heroic viticulture. The wines are medium-bodied, perfumed and stony, usually lighter and softer than Mencía from neighboring Bierzo. Monterrei, the smallest DO, has a warmer, drier inland climate, while Ribeiro focuses on whites from Treixadura and other local grapes. The hosts also taste whites made from Doña Blanca and Treixadura.

The experiment: how wine is clarified

Why are most wines so bright and clear? In the experiment, Susie and Andreas demonstrate the two main ways winemakers clarify wine: filtration and fining. You will see egg whites at work, hear which fining agents are used for vegan wines, and learn the final step, racking. Find out why some critics argue that filtration can strip flavor from a wine.

Food pairings and blind tastings

A Godello aged on its lees from Valdesil is paired with classic Galician octopus, potatoes and smoked paprika, and you will learn what sobre lías means. Later Andreas makes a citrus and burrata salad with fennel and toasted hazelnuts, a dish that seems tricky for wine until the hosts explain the bridges that make it work.

There are also two blind tastings, with Dominio do Bibei's Lacima and a Terras Gauda in the line-up. Follow how the hosts move from color and aroma to grape, place and blend. The episode helps you prepare for WSET Level 3, and it ends with a useful recap of all five DOs.