Gaba do Xil O Barreiro 2023

This single-plot cuvée comes from the O Barreiro vineyard, in Larouco, in southern Galicia, within the DO Valdeorras appellation. Farmed organically, the vines grow on silica-rich clay and slate soils whose light textures favour length and balance in the wine. This inland terroir, shaped by both Atlantic and continental influences, delivers a precise expression of the native grape varieties.

The grapes are harvested by hand into crates. Fermentation is carried out with native yeasts in stainless-steel tanks, then the wine is aged for four months on fine lees in the same vessels. This oak-free ageing favours purity of fruit, freshness and a delicately fleshed-out texture.

This wine reveals notes of fresh bay leaf, white flowers, honeysuckle, pear, nectarine, lemon zest, bitter herbs, wet stone and sea salt. The dry, supple palate combines a round, slightly creamy texture with precise acidity. The finish, lengthened by a mineral thread, stands out for a fine, saline bitterness that is truly thirst-quenching.

The history of wine in Spain is so old that no one really knows who brought the first vines to the region. When the Phoenicians arrived some 3,000 years ago and founded the present-day cities of Cádiz and Jerez, viticulture was well established and Spanish wines were widely traded throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa. You could say that Spain is a wine miracle. After years on the sidelines of the fine wine world, it is now a major player. Investment and ambition in vineyards and wineries are resulting in increasingly rich, complex (often very high in alcohol) and spicy reds that are ever more popular with international consumers. Proud to have more land under vine than any other country, Spain is only just beginning to capitalise on this resource in a consistent way. Spain is an anarchic tangle of regions and sub-regions, just as its landscape is an anarchic tangle of incredibly rugged scenery. A glance at a map reveals the climatic diversity between Spain's many wine regions, from the green, rain-soaked vineyards of Galicia on the northern Atlantic coast to the sun-baked vineyards of the Mediterranean south-east. Spain's saving grace, as far as viticulture is concerned, is the average altitude of its vineyards, over 600 metres. Many Spanish vineyards therefore manage to produce grapes with good colour and acidity simply because night-time temperatures are relatively low and the grapes do not ripen until the end of a sufficiently long growing season. But there is real treasure to be found for those willing to dig, and now that a class of connoisseurs has developed in Spain, all kinds of ambitious investors have done their bit to change the image of Spanish wine. Today, a new generation of winemakers has quietly begun crafting spectacular wines and experimenting with grape varieties that would have been unthinkable until very recently. Wine remains an important commodity and an integral part of Spanish culture.