Adega Gil Armada
Cambados, Galicia, Spain
Experience
Visits to this bodega and distillery in Cambados include the beautiful 17th-century Fefinans Palace, its gardens, and ancient forest and vineyards.
Adult price: £6
Min age 18
Good for age: 18+
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Rias Baixas Wine Region
Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
Last updated: 04 April, 2024
South of Santiago de Compostela, the Rias Baixas is a series of four estuarine inlets (Ria de Muros e Noia, the Ria de Arousa, the Ria de Pontevedra, and the Ria de Vigo).
As well as being famed for exceptional seafood, this small area of 4,000 hectares boasts more than 6,500 wine producers, with vines uniquely trained into pergolas to allow air to circulate away from the wet soil. Some farmers grow another crop underneath, or allow farm animals to graze there.
Rias Baixas produces a dry, mineral, aromatic wine from the Albarino varietal, and the area is divided into five sub-regions, each with a subtle difference. Cambados, in the Val do Salnes and an hour’s drive from Santiago, is the capital and oldest sub-region, and one of the best to explore.
Recommendations
Bodegas Martin Codax
Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
Experience
Founded in 1985, Martin Codax is the biggest and best-known winery in the Rias Baixas region, and is synonymous with Galician wines. They offer tours, tastings and wine-themed experiences from Monday to Saturday.
Adult price: £4
Min age 18
Good for age: 18+
Bodega Pazo Baion
Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
Experience
An impressive 500-year-old estate with a striking manor house in the Val do Salnes, with six different tastings to choose from.
Min age 18
Good for age: 18+
Bodega Pazo Rubianes
Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
Experience
Founded in 1411 and one of the biggest estates in the region, with guided tours of the house, 15th-century wine cellar and botanical gardens.
Min age 18
Good for age: 18+
Logistics
Price: Free
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Getting there & doing it
If you’re touring the region independently, it’s important to ring ahead before visiting; most of the vineyards are small and may need prior notice to ensure there is an English-speaking guide for the tour.
Local tour operators run one and three-day wine-tasting trips around the region, or it’s possible to book whole gastronomy and wine-themed week (see operators below).
When to do it
You can visit the vineyards and wineries all year round, though in winter the weather is often wet and the leafless vines are bleak.
Cambados, a small coastal town in the region, holds a famous five-day wine festival (Fiesta del Albarino) in early August – the perfect occasion to immerse in the local Albarino wine, whilst enjoying concerts, theatre and street performances and parades.
Who to go with: organised tours
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
Santiago de Compostela
This excursion aims to bring the traveler to one of the most interesting routes in Galicia, the one that runs along the southern coast of the community, known as Rías Bajas / Rías Baixas .. The route offers the possibility of knowing some of the towns and landscapes most beautiful in the Galician region while allowing you to taste one of the most famous wines in Spain, the Albariño wine whose designation of origin is typical of this area. All this accompanied by a detailed explanation by our guides who have extensive practice and knowledge. In Galicia Tavels we have years of experience carrying out these types of routes and our goal is always to offer the best service to our clients in the most enjoyable and personalized way.
Price €42
Min age 0
Rating 4.76 / 5 [198 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Santiago de Compostela
Get ready to live an unforgettable day in one of the most fascinating jewels of Galicia! On this full-day tour of the Rías Baixas, you will discover a corner of Spain where nature, culture and gastronomy merge in a magical experience.
Your adventure begins with a toast with the famous Albariños wines, refreshing and with an unmatched bouquet, made in the heart of this wine-growing land. But it is not just a toast, it is an immersion in the history and art of creating wines that captivate the most demanding palates. Then, taste the best mussels you can imagine, freshly extracted from the sea, while enjoying an authentic seafaring tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation.
The day continues with an unforgettable boat ride through the calm waters of the estuaries, where you will witness a natural landscape of incomparable beauty.
Are you ready to be carried away by the magic of the Rías Baixas? This is the tour you do not want to miss!
Price €42
Min age 0
Rating 4.21 / 5 [42 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
