Rías Baixas

Salnés in the north, Condado in the south

Attis lies in the Val do Salnés, the coolest part of the DO and the one closest to the coast. Veigamoura lies in the Condado do Tea, further south and further from the sea. Rías Baixas is Galician for the lower rías, and the rías are the long sea inlets that reach deep into the west coast, and the DO follows that coast down to the Miño, the border with Portugal.

Attis farms between sea level and about 100 metres, while Veigamoura gives 50 to 150 metres for its Albariño. The Veigamoura Tríopo Barrica 2021 comes from slopes at 280 metres with thin soils and plenty of granite slabs, and Toni Alonso makes it together with Pablo Juncal and Pablo Sáa. If you buy just one young white from here, take the Veigamoura 2024: it rests on its fine lees without any oak and is bottled unfiltered.

Reds from a white-wine coast

Alongside Albariño, Attis makes single-variety reds from old Galician grapes: the Attis Pedral 2019, the Attis Espadeiro 2019 and the Attis Sousón 2018. The vines grow on pergolas at around 100 metres, facing south-west. Each is fermented with wild yeasts in open 500-litre barrels and aged twelve months in French oak. Each runs to roughly 1,000 to 1,600 bottles, the 2019 Pedral to exactly 1,333.

We would start with the Pedral. It is the most delicate of the range, with red berries and velvety tannin, while the Sousón comes out denser and more powerful. Whatever falls outside the DO rules, Attis bottles as Sitta, including the Sitta Rosado 2023 from Caiño Tinto, Pedral and Espadeiro, pressed straight with the stems.

Pergolas in a damp Atlantic climate

The climate of the Rías Baixas is Atlantic, with mild temperatures, high humidity and regular rain. The soil is weathered granite, sandy and loamy. That is why Attis and Veigamoura train their vines on pergolas, at Attis with 800 vines per hectare. The grapes hang high above the damp ground, and the wind dries them after the rain.