Galician wine: Rías Baixas Albariño and Godello

A white grape variety from the north-west of the peninsula, king of Rías Baixas in Galicia. Its thick skin resists the Atlantic humidity. It gives whites with aromas of citrus, peach and white flowers, with lively acidity and an often saline finish. The best, such as Nanclares y Prieto's Soverribas, gain depth with a few years in the cellar.

An Albariño from Rías Baixas is the local pairing: in Galicia, it is drunk with oysters, mussels and goose barnacles. Choose a young, lively wine for raw shellfish, such as Dandelion, and a fuller single-plot Albariño for a shellfish platter or a lobster. See also our wines for shellfish.

On the south-west coast of Galicia, between Santiago de Compostela and the Portuguese border. The rías are deep estuaries where the ocean reaches inland. The climate is mild and very rainy, and the vines are often trained on pergolas, on granite pillars, to air the bunches.

It is the same grape variety, on either side of the Miño, the river that separates Galicia from Portugal. On the Portuguese side, it is called Alvarinho and goes into the vinhos verdes of Monção and Melgaço. On the Galician side, it gives Rías Baixas Albariño, often a little riper and longer on the palate. Our Portugal range lets you compare.

An appellation in inland Galicia, along the gorges of the Sil and the Miño. The vines grow there on sheer terraces, planted by monks in the Middle Ages, hence the name "sacred bank". Mencía gives pale, peppery reds there, to be found in our Mencía range.

A white grape variety from inland Galicia, saved from extinction in the 1970s and now the pride of Valdeorras. It gives rounder whites than Albariño, with notes of pear, fennel and stone, and a lovely texture. Ladeiras do Xil's Gaba do Xil O Barreiro is a good way in.

Yes, far more than people think. A simple Albariño is drunk within its first three years. An old-vine Albariño, aged on the lees, lasts ten years and more, taking on notes of honey, hazelnut and iodine. Nanclares and Pazo de Barrantes's La Comtesse are made for this.

Around 10 °C for a young Albariño, as an aperitif or with shellfish. An Albariño for ageing or a Godello is best enjoyed at around 12 °C, to let the texture express itself. Take the bottle out of the fridge a quarter of an hour before serving, and use a fairly wide white wine glass.

Mostly Mencía, but also local grape varieties such as Sousón, Brancellao or Caíño. These are pale, fresh reds with red fruit and pepper, far from the powerful reds of central Spain. Ladeiras do Xil's Valbuxan blends Mencía, Brancellao, Sousón and Garnacha Tintorera, at €34.40 a bottle, by the case of 6.

With us, from €22.20 a bottle, for the Godello Gaba do Xil O Barreiro by the case of 6, to €143.60 for Pazo de Barrantes's La Comtesse, sold individually. The Albariños of Nanclares y Prieto range from €25.80 to €47.50 a bottle, by the lot of 3 or the case of 6.