Ribeira Sacra

Ribeira Sacra
Wine growing in Ribeira Sacra has a
long history and was stimulated by the
establishment of the first monasteries
here in the twelfth century. Vineyards
are located on steep slopes on both sides
of the Rios Mino and Sil where the only
possibility for horticulture is through the
use of terracing. This is a region of heroic
viticulture.
It’s also a region of artisan wine making.
Vineyard plots are small, as are holdings
per grower and operations in the ca. 100
wineries. Of the D.O.’s annual harvest of
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ca. 5.6 million kg, 85% is Mencia.
The region faces a number of challenges
including the high maintenance costs of
the road network, high production costs,
an aging workforce and the difficulty of
finding skilled labour. Exports are tiny,
but have received recent critical acclaim,
especially in the U.S. After a difficult few
years at the start of the 21st century, wine
producers are revitalising the region
which now brings in revenues of €10
million per annum to this rural region. It
looks set to have an exciting future.
Ribeira Sacra in Figures
INTRODUCTION
Climate
The Ribeira Sacra (literally sacred riverbank) region
of Galicia is a stunningly beautiful area with a rich
cultural heritage including Romanesque churches
and castles. With a mountainous terrain and
steep river valleys, it is Ideally suited for outdoor
leisure pursuits and is considered to have high
tourist potential. Winegrowing here is an ancient
occupation, possibly dating back to Roman times.
Located upstream from the Rias Baixas and Ribeiro
wine regions, Ribeira Sacra has an increased
continental character, but the influence of the
Atlantic is still felt, giving a temperate climate.
Cultivation of any sort is only possible because
generations of farmers have carved narrow terraces
into seemingly impossibly steep valley slopes of the
Rio Minho and Rio Sil. Ribeira Sacra and Priorat are
the only D.O. regions of Spain which are recognised
by CERVIM as being comprised of heroic vineyards.
This designation recognises the difficulties of
practising viticulture due to steep mountain slopes
and the requirement for terracing.
Winters are not extremely cold and average
monthly temperatures do not go below 0°C.
Average summer temperatures only just reach a
maximum of 30°C, although individual days may
spike above 35°C. Lower elevations experience
warmer conditions and are harvested earlier than
more elevated vineyard plots. Nights are cool and
the diurnal variation slows ripening and encourages
acidity retention. Rainfall is concentrated in late
autumn and winter months but spring rains can
result in poor flowering/fruit set as happened in
2008.
Lack of significant mechanisation, small vineyard
plots, the difficulty of finding skilled labour and
the wineries having small production volumes
all contribute towards a relatively high cost base.
Although it received Denominación de Origen (D.O.)
status in 1979, by the early 21st century this seemed
to be a wine region in decline. Recent efforts by the
Galician Government have greatly improved parts
of the rural infrastructure including roads and water
supply. This, coupled with determined producers
and greater promotion has reawakened interest in
this wine region. It now appears to be on the cusp
of receiving much more widespread interest and
critical acclaim.
GEOGRAPHY
Vineyards are located between 200-700 m on
both sides of the Rio Minho and Rio Sill and are
distributed between five subzones. The challenging
topography of Ribeira Sacra has come about by
the uplift and erosion of igneous and metamorphic
rocks which usually yield thin, coarse-grained,
soils. Maintaining these soils on such steep slopes
requires ongoing attention.
Centro di Ricerche, Studi e Valorizzazione per la Viticoltura Montana
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Ribeira Sacra in Figures
VITICULTURE
Growers
Throughout most of the 21st century the number of
registered growers has remained roughly constant
at between 2,600 to 2,900 growers. An increase
to 3,048 growers was reported in 2012. Since the
terrain consists of steep valley slopes, farming by
necessity takes place on narrow terraces. This means
that vineyard holdings are often split between a
number of small separate plots which together with
a lack of mechanisation contribute towards high
production costs. The average vineyard holding is
only 0.4 ha.
Grape Varietals
There are six white and six red varietals which are
recommended for use according to the regulations
of the Denominación de Orixe Ribeira Sacra issued
in 2012. In addition, two black varietals have been
authorised
Ribeira Sacra Grape Varietals
Recommended
Vineyard Area
The total vineyard area of Ribeira Sacra has remained
roughly constant at ca. 1,250 ha. There are no
published figures as the proportion of black and
white varietals in the vineyard but, based on grape
production reports, the vast majority of vines must
be black varietals.
Ribeira Sacra in 2012
Vineyard area
1,276 ha
Number of growers
3,048
Average holding/grower
0.4 ha
Data Source: España Ministerio de Agricultura
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Authorised
White Albariño,
Godello, Dona
Branca, Loureira
Blanca, Torrontés
Treixadura,
Black
Caiño tinto,
Garnacha tintureira,
Brancellao, Mencia, Mouraton,
Merenzao, Souson,
Tempranillo
Source: Diario Oficial de Galicia, No 152 (2012)
Grapes Harvested & Crushed
The amount of grapes harvested in Ribeira Sacra has
increased quite significantly during the 21st century.
From ca. 2 million kg at the beginning of the century,
harvests over the last five year period (2009-2013)
have averaged 5.6 million kg. This sharp increase
mainly reflects changing demand for Ribeira Sacra
grapes with only small amounts of fruit now being
left unpicked.
Ribeira Sacra in Figures
White grape production in the period from 20092013 has amounted to only 0.2-0.4 million kg per
annum. Of this Godello accounts for ca. 70%, of the
harvest. Albariño (ca.15%) and Treixadura (ca. 10%)
make up much of the remainder.
WINE PRODUCTION
The number of wineries in Ribeira Sacra has
ranged between 80-100 during the 21st century.
All wineries now do their own bottling. Since
production volumes are small and investment funds
scarce, most wineries operate using traditional
equipment. The Amandi subzone has the largest
number of wineries (ca. 35) and the Quiroga-Bibei
subzone has the least (ca. 10)..
Black grape account for well over 90% of Ribeira
Sacra’s harvests and of this amount Mencia’s
contribution has been over 90% for the last five
years. Or to put it another way, although 12 grape
varietals are recommended for use in D.O. Ribeira
Sacra, Mencia makes up ca. 85% of the harvest.
Of the remaining black grape production, Garnacha
is the next most important, despite it being only
an authorised variety. For four of the last five years
Garnacha production has exceeded that of all white
grapes
During the 21st century total wine production has
increased markedly and broadly in line with harvest
size. Production over the period from 2008 to 2012
has averaged 25,000 hl.
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Ribeira Sacra in Figures
SALES
Volume
per litre have fluctuated within the range €4.0-5.5/
litre. The apparently high value for exports in 2012
may be anomalous due to the very small volumes
involved.
Sale volumes for Ribeira Sacra’s wines over the
period 2008-2012 have averaged only 20,500 hl.
Purchases within Spain account for ca. 98% of the
total. Of the tiny amount of wine that makes it into
the export market, a disproportionate number of
bottles are of white wine (ca. 40%).
REFERENCES
Xunta de Galicia (2008) Plan Actuacion global de
infraestruturas Viticolas na Ribeira Sacra Lucense.
21pp
Revenue
Over the past five years revenues from the sale of
Ribeira Sacra wines have averaged €9.8 million per
annum. This represents an important source of
revenue for this largely rural community. Revenues
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WEBSITES
Consejo Regulador, D.O. Ribeira Sacra
www.ribeirasacra.org
Ribeira Sacra v1.0, Nov 2013