Fires leave trail of destruction in vineyards of northwest Spain

Devastating fires have swept through large areas of northwestern Spain in recent days, affecting wine-producing regions across Galicia and Castilla y León. In Valdeorras, renowned producer Rafael Palacios describes a bleak scene stretching from the Bierzo border to the south and west. “I have never seen a fire of such intensity in my 21 years in the region,” he told SWL.

With several outbreaks and over 90,000 hectares burned —18% of the province's forest land— Ourense has become the epicentre of the disaster. The largest blaze broke out in Larouco, spreading east towards Petín, A Rúa, Vilamartín, O Barco and Rubiá; southwards towards O Bolo; and west into Albaredos, a parish of Quiroga (Ribeira Sacra). The flames caused significant damage to Alvaredos-Hobbs winery.

Elsewhere in Ribeira Sacra, a fire in Manzaneda came perilously close to the Dominio do Bibei vineyards. “It lasted five days, but it felt like two months,” says winemaker Paula Fernández.

Further south in Monterrei, Juan Vázquez of the Martín Códax group recounts the ordeal of a supplier who lost all her grapes and livestock. The photograph below was taken in the Jamuz valley in León.

Valdeorras: in the eye of the storm

Among the hardest hit is La Perdida, the natural wine venture of Nacho González, who operates outside the DO. He lost several vineyards in Seadur, A Rúa and Albaredos  -around 2.5 of his six hectares including one planted with the rare Colgadeira variety, another plot planted with different grape varieties, and the Merenzao he grows in Albaredos. Ironically, the 20cm layer of mulch he had used to protect his drought-stricken soils fuelled the flames. Based on past experience with a less severe fire in one of his plots in As Ermidas three years ago, González believes his vines will recover.

According to the Valdeorras Regulatory Board, the most badly affected areas include Seadur-Larouco, A Rúa, Córgomo and Carballeda. Jorge Mazaira, the DO's technical director, points to high-elevation vineyards near forest edges, such as Godeval’s seven-hectare plot in Villamartín de Valdeorras. Fortunately, the Xagoaza site, home to the winery and most of its vineyards, emerged unscathed. “We saved it by the skin of our teeth, thanks to the volunteers and the wind, which kept the fire up high in the mountains,” recounted Godeval managing director Soledad Figueroa. "We were on guard for three days. It has been a terrible situation; many people have lost their homes and their way of life.”

“The main wineries have not been affected, but the large fires burning uphill scorched many small plots,” says Rafael Palacios. Winemaker Pepe Hidalgo, who consults for Guitián and O Luar do Sil, points out that the vineyards often acted as firebreaks. “The edges of the plots burned, and the high temperatures defoliated plants and raisined grapes, but the plots themselves stopped the fires.” Guitián had no telephone service for two days, but fortunately the fire passed right behind the estate. 

Having inspected the O Luar de Sil vineyards, Hidalgo is hopeful that the forecast rainfall later this week will offset the high temperatures and ease the effects of the drought on plots with shallower soils.

In the Bibei Valley, the fire was stopped at Outar de Pregos, sparing the vineyards in Santa Cruz and As Ermidas. These vineyards are the source of some of the most sought-after wines in the DO: As Sortes by Rafael Palacios and the range of single-vineyard wines produced by Cía. de Vinos Telmo Rodríguez. Pablo Eguzkiza, Rodríguez's partner,  was particularly vigilant this year as there were more weeds than usual in the vineyards because they had reduced ploughing.

On the opposite riverbank, at Dominio do Bibei (DO Ribeira Sacra), Paula Fernández was deeply distressed by the advancing fire. “At one point, we were surrounded by flames to the north, east, and south,” she recalls. Emergency services managed to contain the flames before they reached the vineyards while the winery team spent the following days cooling hot spots. Fernández feels fortunate to have technology on hand: drones equipped with sensors were used to measure temperatures in hard-to-reach areas. Ironically, the only plot to suffer serious damage belongs to La Lume, their venture in DO Ribeiro. Some rows of As Regadas (see photo below), a vineyard surrounded by acacia trees in Carballeda de Avia, were affected by the fire.

Carballeda and Beade are the worst-affected villages in Ribeiro. For local grower Xulia Bande, who has a vineyard very close to the fire path, assessing the damage is very difficult. In addition to burned plots, many grape bunches have been scorched by heat. “It didn't rain enough in spring, and then the wind dried everything out. Drought conditions contributed to the spread of the fire,” she explains.

No usable grapes for Alvaredo-Hobbs in Ribeira Sacra 

The impact in Ribeira Sacra has been less severe than in Valdeorras or Monterrei, though the parish of Albaredos in Quiroga was badly hit.  Here lies Alvaredo-Hobbs, a winery where renowned American winemaker Paul Hobbs is a partner.

The fire reached the village on Saturday 19 August from A Rúa, but was initially contained by a firebreak and just a few plots on the eastern slope facing A Rúa were damaged at the perimeter. “On Sunday, however, a blaze broke out in the southern part of the village and spread out of control, climbing up the western slope and burning everything in its path,” explains Cecilia Fernández, the winery's director and winemaker. “It moved so quickly that it jumped over the village, engulfing a house, before sweeping down the eastern slope and burning the plots that had been spared the previous day, blackening the soil and terraces.” 70% of the leaves on the winery's six hectares have been scorched. Drawing on Hobbs’ experience with Californian wildfires, the estate has decided not to release any wines from the 2025 harvest, citing smoke taint. Their Godello, which is pressed directly but fermented and aged in barrels with extended lees contacct, would be impossible to produce in its usual style.

“The scenery really makes you want to cry,” says Cecilia. She was specially moved to see two pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago walking through the ashes. "Community organisations now clearly understand that forests must be redesigned, and that easily flammable species  such as pine trees cannot be planted close to houses."

Monterrei: vineyards as firewalls

Galicia's second worst-affected region, Monterrei, has endured terrible losses. Local grower Josefa Álvarez, from the village of As Chás, lost her grape harvest, livestock and stables. "The fire reached her front door," reports Juan Vázquez, managing director of Martín Códax, in an interview with SWL. The Galician group owns 100 hectares of vineyards in Monterrei, plus 60 hectares of recently planted vines. It also sources grapes from members of the Terras de Cigarrón cooperative. Josefa's grapes, grown on eight small plots surrounded by pine forests, were destined for  Martín Códax's top Godello, O Con de Moura. They were literally cooked by the flames.

Although the Regulatory Board has yet to provide details, Vázquez reports small vineyards in elevated areas near woods were the most vulnerable. The fire started in Oímbra on 16 August, spreading around the valley into As Chás and Albarello. Four hectares belonging to cooperative members were affected in the latter. It then advanced through forest areas towards Vences and Castrelo do Val, where Martín Códax has around 60 hectares of young vines. These were deliberately planted close to woodland to act as a protective barrier (see the photo below). "Galicia has a very high percentage of forest cover. American aerial photographs from the 1950s show that much of this land was once orchards and vineyards. We must understand that agriculture plays a key role in maintaining the landscape," Vázquez explains.

In Vilardevós, the perimeter of Martín Códax’s 100-hectare vineyard had been cleared in anticipation of fire risk. “Today, everything around it is burnt, but the vineyard is still green.” The two large rainwater ponds on the estate were extremely helpful in putting out the fire.

Bierzo and the Jamuz valley

In Castilla y León, the charred landscape of Las Médulas, the ancient Roman mines of Bierzo, is likely to become the defining image of this hellish summer. The fires raged on several fronts, and the proximity of the Valdeorras fire was also clearly felt. “The air has been unbreathable for 10 days,” says Carmen Gómez, technical director at the DO Bierzo Regulatory Board. Despite all the distress, the flames did not reach the vineyards, except for minor damage to the easternmost part of the region. “After three rainy years that generated abundant vegetation and weeds, the heatwave provided the perfect fuel for the fires,” Gómez explained.

The vineyards in the Jamuz Valley, south of Bierzo, fared far worse. This area is reviving its winemaking tradition through projects such as Fuentes del Silencio and Bodega El Capricho. “The fire started in Zamora province and spread to Jiménez del Jamuz, but then the wind changed and flames engulfed the village of Palacios de Jamuz. It caught the valley from two sides,” says Marta Ramas, winemaker at Fuentes del Silencio. Their La Fontanica vineyard in Herreros de Jamuz was completely destroyed, although higher plots in Quintanilla and Flores, surrounded by pine forests, were spared. Other plots served as firebreaks and were only partially damaged.

"This has taught us a valuable lesson about viticulture and the importance of keeping vineyards clean," concludes Ramas. She is now determined to look ahead, supporting recovery initiatives that preserve village heritage, safeguard the essence of the region, and encourage young people to work the land and forests.

Harvesting after the fire

Despite the devastation, harvest is already underway in some affected regions. Valdesil began picking last week in Valdeorras, and Godeval started on Monday. Rafael Palacios intends to maintain his mid-September dates harvest dates.

At Dominio do Bibei, Paula Fernández expects an early harvest and plans to start picking Godello and Albariño grapes this week. “We will probably have to sacrifice some batches,” she admits, voicing concern about the physical strain on staff.

José Luis Mateo of Quinta da Muradella in Monterrei reports that his vineyards were spared from direct damage, but he remains cautious about the weeks ahead. “Ripening was a little premature, particularly in the red varieties, but now everything is uneven. After so much heat, we’re hoping for cooler nights. The grapes have ripened with the high temperatures, but they lack flavour,” he explains. Mateo also notes that, unlike in past wildfires, enduring an entire week beneath a blanket of ash is an entirely new challenge for the region.

The risk of smoke taint now looms over the 2025 vintage. SWL will publish a detailed report on this issue in the coming days.