Albariño & Seafood Rías Baixas Wine Tour

Spend two days in the Rías Baixas wine region of Galicia, where the Albariño grape expresses itself beautifully thanks to the ideal vineyards and expert winemakers.

Rías Baixas

The coastal areas of the Rías Baixas are home to the Albariño grape, the iconic Galician white and frequent companion of local seafood. The best Galician Albariños are among the greatest white wines available anywhere, with depth, complexity, and the potential to age for years in bottle.

Rías Baixas is the most famous wine region in Galicia, though it is often known simply by its characteristic grape: Albariño. Rías are inlets of the Atlantic similar to fjords. They give the vineyards a very strong Atlantic influence, and the humidity means the vines must be trained on high trellises to prevent mildew. Nearly all wine here is white and dominated by Albariño. These wines are fresh and mineral with lively acidity that makes them the perfect pairing with the local seafood-dominated cuisine.

Day 1 – Albariño Wine Country

Private transfer from Santiago, Pontevedra or Vigo to the Rías Baixas wine region
Pazo de Señorans winery visit
Granbazán winery visit
Lunch at Taberna do Trasno
Dinner at D’Berto
Overnight Quinta de San Amaro, Rías Baixas

Pazo de Señorans Winery Visit

Housed in a beautifully restored 14th-century palace surrounded by gardens and vineyards, Pazo de Señorans is an enchanting place. The property was bought in the 1970s by Marisol Bueno, who would become the first president of the Rías Baixas Regulatory Board. Marisol and her family restored the property and planted vineyards there before they began making wine in the 1980s. The wines of Pazo de Señorans have risen to become some of the most famous and sought-after Albariños in the world. You’ll only find stainless steel in the winery, to allow the grape to shine through.

The young Pazo Señorans Albariño is a textbook example, often used around the world to train sommeliers. The house specialty, however, is long-aged Albariño. The wine called Colección comes from the same vineyards as the young wine, but spends three years aging in bottle as proof of the aging potential of a wine with just five months on its lees. The flagship is Selección de Añada, sourced from a single vineyard and aged for nearly three years on its lees and years more in bottle before release. Many consider Selección Selección de Añada to be one of the finest white wines in Galicia and all of Spain.

Pazo de Señorans is also a boutique producer of orujo, a Galician spirit made from grape skins and seeds similar to Italian grappa. Seeing the traditional pot stills that are still used here is like stepping back in time. Both the unflavored orujo and the herb-infused Aguardiente de Hierbas are among the best in the region and worth trying. Pazo de Señorans is one of the best Albariño producers and a stunning place to discover the aging potential of Galicia’s favorite white grape.

Granbazán Winery Visit

From a stunning Galician palace surrounded by carefully tended vines, Granbazán has for decades been producing complex Albariños in pioneering styles. From its founding in the early 1980s, Granbazán has focused on getting the most out of the Albariño grape. The owners planted vineyards on the best granite soils with selected clones of the indigenous grape and they trained the vines high off the ground on the traditional granite posts. Each of the house's wines uses grapes from specific vineyards. The winemaking and aging vary, from the stainless steel freshness of the Etiqueta Verde to the lees aging and occasional oak of the flagship wines. Granbazán is a beautiful place to taste and learn about Albariño, and their Albariños are among the best on the market.

Lunch at Taberna do Trasno

The fishing and wine village of Cambados is known for good eating. Taberna do Trasno is a cozy restaurant in the streets of the old town, with a dining room lined with booths. On the menu of this creative spot, you’ll find the best local fish and shellfish, much of it grilled over wood, alongside creative dishes that reimagine typical dishes. The wine list is notable, especially when it comes to Albariños from the best nearby wineries.

Dinner at D’Berto

On a nondescript street in the Galician town of O Grove lies one of the greatest seafood restaurants in Spain. The outside of D’Berto hints at the pleasures that await with a tank showcasing stunning examples of crabs, lobsters, and other delicacies from the rías of the Galician coast. This family restaurant has specialized in serving up the largest and rarest pieces of seafood and fish from the region. Everything is seasonal and based on what is available in the market. The best bet is to let Berto, one half of the brother and sister team behind the restaurant, guide you on your journey. Expect to feast on everything from clams and oysters to lobsters and baked fish. You’ll also find a great wine cellar at D’Berto, focused on elite and small producers from Galicia and other wines from Spain and the wider world that pair well with the clean, fresh seafood. This is a good place to try sparkling Albariño.

Day 2 - Granite Growers

Santiago Roma winery visit
Attis winery visit
Wine-pairing lunch in Sanxenxo
Dinner at Quinta de San Amaro
Overnight Quinta de San Amaro, Rías Baixas

Santiago Roma Winery Visit

As soon as you meet Santiago Roma, you begin to see the character of his project. He’s an intense, earnest man from a vine-growing family in Rías Baixas who has built the winery that bears his name through hard work and attention to detail. Santiago is the wine and the wine is him. His parents live next to the winery, which is small and practical and lies in the basement of an old Galician house. Everything is Albariño here in the heart of the Val do Salnés. Three superb examples of clean, fresh Albariño define the essence of Santiago Roma, varying in their time on lees and vine age. Each is superb, expressing the concentration and elegance of the surrounding vineyards which Santiago works with artisan practices and attention to detail. The most famous wine here is also the hardest to find: Pedranai. This unique Albariño ferments and ages with lees in a granite egg of Santiago’s own design. It’s a wine that made such waves that Santiago had to start a new business to produce the vessels for other wineries! The complexity of Pedranai is stunning, though its limited production means you must take any chance you have to try it. Santiago never stands still for long, and has also launched a sparkling Albariño and a beer made from Albariño.

Attis Winery Visit

Attis is a family winery with just two decades bottling wine, but when you arrive at the winery it’s hard to believe it. The stunning new building offers some of the best views of the Val do Salnés available anywhere, and its shining structure speaks to the success of Attis’s wines. From the family’s small holdings of Albariño vineyards has sprung one of the most exciting and dynamic wineries in the whole region. The core of the winery, and the vast majority of production, comes from the Albariño Lías Finas, a benchmark for a young Albariño that offers surprising complexity for an entry level wine. The rest of Attis’s wines are small production jewels that frequently break new ground. Apart from several Albariños from special vineyards and with more extended aging in conventional vessels, you’ll find one aged in granite, two different orange wines, and even Attis Mar, aged under the sea! Attis is also famous for using grapes other than Albariño, including a white made from rare Caiño Blanco and a white blend alongside a rainbow of single varietal red wines and several red blends. There are even two sweet wines made from Albariño! All of this variety might seem intimidating, but the best way to understand the importance Attis is as a laboratory for discovering the full potential of the terroirs of the Val do Salnés through small productions of new wines.

Wine-pairing Lunch in Sanxenxo

Lunch will be at a seaside restaurant in the coastal village of Sanxenxo. The restaurant offers views of the ocean and fishing boats, but the food and wine are what make this a destination. The menu is based around local seafood, freshly caught and subtly prepared, with respect for traditional recipes and techniques. What takes this spot above and beyond is the wine. The owner is a true wine lover and his restaurant is a destination for wine enthusiasts from all over Spain. He’ll serve you a pairing with your lunch that’ll serve as a masterclass in the wines of Galicia and the Rías Baixas in particular. Rare vintages and small production wines are sure to appear, and by the time you stroll down the waterfront and reflect on your day, you’ll have a broad perspective on the fine wines of this unique part of Spain.

Dinner at Quinta de San Amaro

Quinta de San Amaro is a beautiful countryside hotel right in the heart of Rías Baixas wine country. Peaceful and cozy, it's the kind of place that makes you want to stay as long as possible. The rooms are beautifully furnished and luxurious, and the public areas are full of spots to enjoy a glass of wine and relax. The quinta is also home to one of the area's best restaurants, serving elegant Galician dishes and with a wine list featuring excellent wines from Rías Baixas and other Galician regions.

Note

We can arrange private tours in Santiago de Compostela and Pontevedra as well as restaurant recommendations and reservations.

Hotel

Rías Baixas - 2 nights

Quinta de San Amaro - Quinta de San Amaro is a beautiful countryside hotel right in the heart of Rías Baixas wine country. Peaceful and cozy, it's the kind of place that makes you want to stay as long as possible. The rooms are beautifully furnished and luxurious, and the public areas are full of spots to enjoy a glass of wine and relax. The quinta is also home to one of the area's best restaurants, serving elegant Galician dishes and with a wine list featuring excellent wines from Rías Baixas and other Galician regions.

Trip Includes

2 nights hotel, double occupancy
breakfast daily in the hotels
expert private guides
private premium tours and tastings at wineries
private driver-guide for wine tour days
2 lunches with wine
restaurant reservations and recommendations
full trip planning
in-country trip assistance and on-the-ground support
Epicurean Ways expertise

Not Included

flights to/from Spain and flights within Spain
tips to guides and drivers (optional but appreciated)
travel insurance (recommended)
extra charges in hotels (minibar, room service, etc)

A note on winery visits, restaurant selections and hotels

All tours, experiences and hotels are subject to availability and will be confirmed upon booking the trip.

You will be accompanied by a driver-guide during your wine touring. Your visits and tastings will be private and with the winemaker, a family member or an expert who knows the winery and the wines well. We work with the wineries to make sure that you taste the best and most representative wines during each visit. It is sometimes possible to arrange extended tastings that include old vintages or rare wines. We have an extensive group of wineries whose owners we know and with whom we work regularly, so we can guarantee high-level visits even if a winery has to be substituted. If you have an interest in visiting a particular producer please let us know.

We include restaurant concierge service as part of your trip. Note that our restaurant suggestions are just that–suggestions. Places we love, places to go back to time after time. We recommend these places after years of experience eating in Spain and Portugal together with frequent research and input from our local partners. We aspire to guide your choices with information on the styles of cuisine and restaurants; the choice on where to eat is yours based on your preferences and desires.

We have included hotel options ranging from 5-star luxury properties to small boutique hotels. Let us know your preferences and we will tailor the hotel choices for you.

Trip Prices

Note that we can customize this trip for you. Add days in your arrival or departure city or in other locations or make changes to the experiences, winery visits, restaurants, or hotels included in the trip. Whatever it is, we’re here to work with you. Once you’re happy with the trip plan and have some idea of your dates we will calculate and send you the price.