Galicia is a big, diverse region with several significant regions and grape varieties. Rías Baixas is a good place to start, as it’s the home of Galicia’s flagship variety, Albariño. It’s a large appellation with a confusing name that refers to part of its geography (ría means ‘fjord’); it consists of five sub-appellations and only one of them is in the actual ría. Fortunately, this area, Val do Salnés, represents two thirds of production in the appellation.

Salnés is a region almost entirely dedicated to Albariño. The mildly aromatic nature of the grape, its fresh, natural acidity, ability to show complexity in the right vineyards and capacity to improve with ageing are key factors in explaining why it’s currently in fashion and even more importantly, are the pillars supporting Albariño’s accession to the world’s Olympus of the greatest classic grape varieties. Some of the best Albariño wines tasted for this report are likely to become investment icons.

Albariño is a tricky variety. Once distanced from the ocean and grown at higher altitudes, its character changes and the wines it yields often get better when blended with other grape varieties. This is the case for the sub-regions O Rosal and, mostly, Condado de Tea, where excellence is often achieved with blends. Indeed, the name O Rosal on the label signifies that the wine is a blend. These two subregions face the river Miño and have a slightly more continental climate. The other two sub-regions in Rías Baixas are currently less relevant, although I anticipate that they will become important in a few years.

At less than 40 years old, Rías Baixas is relatively young as an official appellation and has only recently become a top-quality wine region. There are many excellent wines now but most of them are fairly new and, most of all, are developing into more complex styles with every passing year. Research, experimentation and creativity are key to the present and future success of Rías Baixas. Precision viticulture, a difficult job in such a humid climate, is advancing rapidly. Valorisation of aged vines, consideration of trellising and much other work in the vineyard is, collectively, the main reason for the impressive gains in quality over the last 15 years. Preventing malolactic fermentation, understanding extended lees contact, and mastering ageing in vats and in oak, are crucial winery developments that not so many years ago seemed impossible.

Rías Baixas is only a part of the Galician scene. Indeed, the most historic Galician region is Ribeiro. As Ribadavia, it was one of the most appreciated wine styles in London in the 17^th century. Today, it is in a process of rebuilding its fame, with several wines that are wonderful and many more making great steps forward. Ribeiro is in most cases a blend wine, Treixadura being the most abundant grape variety. Here, the character is entirely given by the land and the maker but there is a Ribeiro profile in the best wines. I recommend trying the rare Tostado wines to understand why those Englishmen of the 17^th century adored Ribadavia.

The second glorious grape variety in Galicia is Godello. In the 1970s, it was almost lost but, thankfully, a publicly funded programme saved it. Producers who understood it and its need for privileged sites and some ageing on lees then put Godello in the hall of fame, and there was an explosion of plantings as a result. Now it is the flagship variety in its cradle region, Valdeorras, and a main variety in Monterrei and Ribeira Sacra, the other two appellations. In short, it is quite neutral and impresses most on the palate, thanks to an amazingly silky texture and a prolonged open finish from the best wines.

There are other white grape varieties with much potential in the region, such as Branco Lexitimo, Caíño Blanco, Lado, even Palomino, plus many more. Some of the best wines in this report show the class and potential of these grapes.

As mentioned, Galicia does also produce some red wines and they’re currently fashionable because ‘Atlantic wines’ are so in vogue. Closer to the sea, some indigenous grape varieties result in very good wines, while further inland, Mencía of Bierzo fame is crucial in reds from Ribeira Sacra, Valdeorras and Monterrei.

A last word for the wines with no official appellation of origin, some of which are included in the report. Some regions, such as Morrazo or Barbanza e Iria, did not get into the Rías Baixas appellation in the 1980s but are now demonstrating excellent potential; another one, Betanzos, is slowly being recovered from abandoned land, and promises to be a reference region for cool-climate wines in 25 years’ time. Finally, there are wines that are not classed in the official appellation system because they are isolated, or because of winemaker preference, or for other mysterious reasons – but some of them are great regardless.

Tasting notes and scores from The Galicia Report 2025 (featuring only those wines scoring 90 points and above) are available to all registered users of The Collection, the online home of our premium wine and spirits content. To register, click here.