Valle del Miño-Ourense

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The climate is oceanic-Mediterranean transitional, one of the least humid areas of Galicia, with around 2,000 hours of sunshine a year and rainfall not exceeding 950 mm.
• Average annual temperatures are around 14 ºC, with hot summers that easily exceed 30-32 ºC and cold winters with frequent fog and a moderate risk of frost.
• The area's geomorphology, with abundant alkaline and calc-alkaline granites, stems from Hercynian deformation that generated folds and fractures running NW-SE and NE-SW, creating three morphological units.
• The 'ribeiros' are areas of water-meadows and alluvial terraces close to the river, on slopes or hillsides of medium gradient, no higher than 400 m above sea level, south-facing and sheltered from the prevailing winds.
• Humid brown soils predominate, of oligotrophic or mesotrophic subtypes depending on whether the parent material is granite or schist, acidic and permeable soils with an average depth of 70 to 100 cm and a sandy texture.

• In 1556 the Countess of Lemos, Beatriz de Castro, paying 200 ducats a year, leased the revenues of the Abbey of the Trinity and received cellars and vineyards in A Valenzá and As Lamas.
• The Ensenada cadastre (1749-1756) recorded 57.89 ha of vineyard and pergola-trained vines for the Coto de Cudeiro, with a 1752 production of 880.50 hl of wine.
• In 1861 the civil governor of Ourense organised a commission to extend sulphur treatment of the vineyard as a remedy against powdery mildew.
• In the early 20th century the vines were traditionally trained on tall pergolas, which after the phylloxera crisis had to be replaced by free-standing bush vines.
• The specificity and reputation of these wines formed the basis for their recognition as Vino de la Tierra through an Order of the Consellería de Agricultura of the Xunta de Galicia of 15 July 1987.

• These are wines whose smoothness, freshness, liveliness and light acidity are accompanied by medium intensity with moderate alcohol levels.
• In the whites, fruity aromas and flavours dominate with light vegetal touches, while in the reds bright colours, red fruit and soft mineral touches with a light tannic finish stand out.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the specification (pliego de condiciones).

All appellations in Spain

Sources

• National pliego de condiciones (PDF)
• Mapa de Parroquias de Galicia (IET, Xunta de Galicia) — © Xunta de Galicia – Instituto de Estudos do Territorio (IET), Mapa de Parroquias · CC BY 4.0
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PGI-ES-A1259
• Official trade body site — AGACAL — IXP Val do Miño-Ourense