Galicia

One of the 17 autonomous regions in Spain (Span.: Galicia), resp. an historical landscape on the Atlantic coast in the north-west of the Iberian peninsula, it has a total area of around 30.000 square kilometres. It borders on Portugal to the south, and in the east on Basque country, both are part of what is known as „green Spain“. In the west, the original inhabitants were the Celts (Galicians = derived from Gauls), and the Basques in the east. In the 5th century, the Germanc Swebes came to the area, and the Visigoths conquered the region in 585. After being liberated from Moorish rule in the 8th century, it was initially part of the kingdom of Asturia, later it became part of León and Castilia. At the time of the independent kingdom of Asturia, Santiago de Compostela – the terminal point of the famous pilgrims’ path – was the capital. The countryside is hilly with many valleys, crossed by many rivers, and is therefore also known as the „Land of 1.000 rivers“. The climate is characterised by mild winters, moderately warm summers and high rainfall. The region has one of the highest rainfall figures in Spain. In conjunction with the large number of sunny days, this makes it an excellent area for viticulture, and wine from here was exported to many European countries as far back as the 14th century. It is separated from Castilia-León by high mountain ranges, and has undergone an isolated development, which also shows Portuguese influences. The most important grape variety is the white Albariño. The vineyard areas are found particularly in the south of the region, close to the border with Portugal. The following are classified as DO’s: Monterrei, Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro and Valdeorras.