In 2002, the small, unique winery Dominio do Bibei started up in the area of Ribeira Sacre, which is located in Galicia. Here in the north-west corner of Spain there is a fantastically exciting wine area, which is one of the upcoming cult areas in Spain.
The Atlantic Ocean has an absolutely decisive and cooling factor, which is clearly experienced in the wine style of Ribeira Sacre. The cold sea air meets the warm mainland here. This makes for many cool mornings and quite a few cloudy days with rain, making the area more lush and green than most other parts of Spain. The contrast between day and night temperatures favors slow ripening, which helps to provide a good acid balance.
The winery is located in the most difficult to access part of the Ribeira Sacra, close to the Bibei River. The river helps to ensure a diverse flora and helps to maintain the ecosystem. A dramatic and beautiful area with great differences in elevation. Steep slopes with ravines and valleys, adorned by large old chestnut and oak trees beautifully complemented by lavender and chamomile.
Domino do Bibei takes full advantage of the unique climate and specializes in making authentic wines from local grapes.
They prioritize the fruit and quality of the grapes. Their wish is that the wines convey the expression of the terroir through agriculture that respects nature, which means wine production with the least possible intervention and care.
Here we experience wines with a slightly lower alcohol percentage, with a nice fresh minerality and acidity. Wines that are well-balanced and have an exquisite elegance and complexity, and stand out markedly from the classic Spanish wines.
The vineyards are made as stone terraces, cut out and built up in the steeply sloping hills, which is a huge and exhausting job in the difficult to access terrain. The terraces are planted with vines, which vary between 15 years and 100 years. The location is between 200-700 meters above sea level. The soil is very complex, but mainly consists of slate and granite with deposits of both clay, quartz and feldspar. Only local grapes such as Mencia, Souson, Caino, Brencellao, Mouraton, Garnacha and Godello are grown here.
Today, there is a total of 125 hectares of land for the property, although only approximately 40 hectares planted with vines.
The wine cellar is built into slopes and with underground facilities to minimize their visual impact on the beautiful landscape. This has made it possible to use bioclimatic systems for cooling and to utilize gravity in wine production. All together help to give their wines a unique identity.
In the first years, the wines were created by winemaker Iria Otero Mazoy with assistance from the renowned winemaking couple from Priorat, Sara Perez and René Barbier Jr.
In 2015, the skilled winemaker, oenologist Paula Fernández Trabanco, was headhunted from the winery Dominio de Tares, and now has full responsibility for the production of the fantastic wines.
The vinification is completely traditional and everything is done manually by hand. They have a penchant for old used casks and long aging in bottle before release.
Everything is according to ecological and biodynamic principles.
