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Rias Baixas Wine Region

  • Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain

  • Bucket List Experience

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.

Who to go with: tour operators

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Adega Gil Armada

  • Cambados, Galicia, Spain

Adega Gil Armada

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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Bodegas Martin Codax

  • Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain

Bodegas Martin Codax

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+

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Bodega Pazo Baion

  • Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain

Bodega Pazo Baion

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+

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Bodega Pazo Rubianes

  • Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain

Bodega Pazo Rubianes

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+

Website >

Logistics

Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
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

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Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Excursion to Rias Baixas with Winery - Optional mussel boat

    Excursion to Rias Baixas with Winery - Optional mussel boat

    Viator

    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 €38

    Min age 0

    Rating 4.71 / 5 [110 ratings]

    Tour supplied by:

    Viator Logo
    Website >

    Full Day Excursion to the Rías Baixas and Isla da Toxa

      Full Day Excursion to the Rías Baixas and Isla da Toxa

      Viator

      Discover the most beautiful of the Galician Rias Baixas in this full day visit, where you will get to know the most important of this region of Galicia. Enjoy wine, mussels, a boat trip, as well as wonderful enclaves that will not leave anyone indifferent. Can you come with us?

      Price €38

      Min age 0

      Rating 4.35 / 5 [31 ratings]

      Tour supplied by:

      Viator Logo
      Website >

      Destination guides

      1

      Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

      Santiago de Compostela

      Destination guide

      Charming, lively granite city with a magnificent cathedral at the end of Europe’s most famous pilgrimage trail.