Condes de Albarei

  Founded in 1988 (the same year the D.O. Rias Baixas was officially granted its charter), Adega Condes de Albarei is a cooperative of 362 grower/owners. It is located in the valley known as O Salnès, in the heart of D.O. Rias Baixas. It is two kilometers away from Cambados, in the province of “Galicia.” Galicia is one of the oldest areas in Spain, settled originally by the Celts. Considered by many experts to be the most prestigious white-wine producing region of Spain today, D.O. Rias Baixas has produced wine for centuries; though its renaissance owes much to the modernization of winemaking that has taken place over the last two decades. 

Surrounded by mountains and crossed by the Umia River, the vineyards total 740 acres of Albariño, all of which are estate-owned by the grower/owners, not by contract-producers. The climate is the wettest in Spain, averaging 50 inches of rainfall per annum, and also one the coolest of Spain’s D.O.’s In order to maximize the sun’s effect on the maturation of the grapes, the “pergola” method of trellising is utilized. The vines are trellised by laying them flat, parallel to the ground across wiring five-to-six feet off the ground. This exposes the grapes to as much sun and drying breezes as possible, reducing rot caused by dampness, controlling infection by harmful bacteria and thus ensuring the fullest and most sanitary ripening possible.