From Ribeiro to the Canary Islands: A Emoción dos Viños festival

Fifteen editions in, and A Emoción dos Viños remains true to its founding spirit: a festival that celebrates the wines of small, artisan producers. What began back in 2011 in the Galician town of Tui, with barely 20 growers —many now well-established names— has grown into a gathering of nearly 80 producers in 2025, mostly from Galicia but also from regions such as Jerez, Gredos, Navarra and Portugal.

A Emoción dos Viños has always chosen venues with a sense of history, but this year’s location, selected by the organisers, sommelier Marina Cruces and winegrower Antonio Portela, was particularly evocative. The Monastery of San Clodio, a national historic-artistic monument, was once the beating heart of wine production in Galicia during the Middle Ages.

Another change this year was the timing. Traditionally held in early summer, the festival moved to the autumn for the first time. Some voiced doubts about whether the rural setting of Ribeiro, with its small villages and limited infrastructure, could handle so many visitors. It’s true that a car is essential to get around, but this isn’t a mass event, and the proximity of towns such as Leiro, O Carballiño and Ribadavia makes things easier. Local hospitality certainly helps too, not least the warmth and drive of two energetic Ribeiro winegrowers, Xulia Bande (soon to be featured in an in-depth article) and Iria Otero. Not only did they take part in the festival but also hosted a lively dinner at Xulia’s winery for around 50 producers, friends and colleagues —complete with tablecloths, crockery and a few rounds of traditional Galician songs.

A relaxed atmosphere and a rich diversity of styles

Set amid such a historic backdrop, the two-day tasting unfolded in a calm and convivial atmosphere: no queues, no crowding, just plenty of time to taste, talk and share a meal —something both producers and visitors, professionals and enthusiasts alike, clearly appreciated.

On the tables, familiar names mixed with newcomers. Bárbara Mesquida Mora (pictured with Marina Cruces) poured her savoury Mediterranean reds from callet, gorgollassa and other native grapes; José Crusat (Adega Entre Os Ríos) brought his playful Komokabras range and a T-shirt declaring “Evite uma vida sedentaria: beba vinho” (‘Avoid a sedentary life, drink wine’; and the ever-respected Bernardo Estévez, now working mainly in Monterrei alongside Xico de Mandín (Couto Mixto), admitted that artisanal viticulture in Ribeiro is becoming increasingly hard to sustain. Ricardo P. Palacios (Descendientes de J. Palacios) also joined, showing barrel samples of his 2024s —refined and approachable— and a stunning 2011 Corullón to toast the festival’s anniversary.

Veteran Pepe Blanco is embarking on a new chapter following the end of Callejuela, the project he once shared with his brother. The Sanlúcar-born grower is now working with his daughter Marta, who’s combining family experience with harvests abroad —in Argentina and soon New Zealand. Together they produce two white wines from albariza soils: El Caserón de Mahína, from an old-vine Palomino plot, and Campiz Viejo, our favourite —a six-year-old vijiriega vineyard fermented in chestnut casks and aged in manzanilla butts.

Just a short drive away, in Riobóo, Iago Garrido continues refining his project Fazenda Agrícola Augalevada. Though technically outside the DO Ribeiro, he works with local varieties planted on decomposed granite soils. His wines retain their signature freshness and acidity, but now show greater polish and consistency than ever before.

Emerging voices

A Emoción dos Viños is also a fine showcase for young or up-and-coming producers. Among them this year were Alebrije and Dona Paca, both based near Chantada, outside the DO Ribeira Sacra.

Alebrije is the creation of Alex Messianu DipWSET, a Mexican who left his job as a creative director in Texas in 2021 to learn viticulture hands-on at Fazenda Pradio before striking out on his own. With a small vineyard in A Peroxa and fruit purchased in O Rosende, he produces low-intervention, limited production wines from native Galician grapes.

Dona Paca is the project of three young friends —Manuel Casal, Alex Pardo and Sara Díaz— who make two reds and three whites from godello, treixadura, dona branca and mencía, sourcing grapes from growers who farm without herbicides near Chantada. Their first vintage was 2023, and they aim to reach around 7,000 bottles in 2024.

Following in the footsteps of trailblazers like Suertes del Marqués and Envínate, the Canary Islands have seen the rise of several small, exciting projects seeking to capture the dramatic landscapes and singular vineyards of the archipelago. Three of them were present in San Clodio this year:

Titerot Akaet, run by Juan Daniel Ramírez and Marta Labanda, who farm 42 hectares organically in Lanzarote and make 11 different wines —their whites are particularly noteworthy.

Tiempos del Sur, from Adal Álvarez, farming vineyards above 1,000 metres on Gran Canaria and vinifying at Bodega Lava.

Ubay Gil, former chef at Gofio in Madrid, who has completed four vintages from his two rented plots in Tacoronte (Tenerife), sharing cellar space with Iñaki Garrido and Pablo Matallana.

Wines that stood out

There were plenty more worth discovering, but here are 10 wines and producers —mostly Galician, pictured below clockwise— that particularly caught our attention at this year’s A Emoción dos Viños:

Boas Vides Blanco 2023. Antonio Míguez is a colleiteiro who farms two hectares of native varieties replanted over the past 20 years on the slopes of the Avia River in Ribeiro. His white, from the Pazos Ermos vineyard (50% treixadura plus lado, albariño, verdello antigo and albilla do avia), impressed with its minerality and drive.

Lorenzo Bescansa 2024. The leading advocate of the Branco Lexítimo variety in Betanzos (A Coruña) for the past 20 years, Lorenzo Bescansa produces this austere white wine with marked acidity (8 g/l) and excellent ageing potential. It includes 15% Agudelo (Chenin Blanc) and totals just over 5,000 bottles.

Torgo 2022. Magdalena Paramés, a teacher-turned-winegrower, works organically on a small family plot in A Cañiza, just outside the Condado do Tea subzone of Rías Baixas. Only 1,200 bottles of this Albariño were made —textured, saline and deep.

Tres Vellas 2023. Pedro Méndez, a small grower from O Salnés, releases his wines outside the DO Rías Baixas. We first met him years ago at his delightful furancho (tavern) A Casa Pequena. His Albariño, from three 80-year-old vineyards on xabre and clay soils, offers balance, salinity and depth.

Os Dunares 2022. A light, spicy Mencía with a touch of Caíño from María Falcón and Cristina Yagüe (Anónimas Viticultoras), who also brought to San Clodio a diverse collection of wines from Rías Baixas, inland Galicia and Rioja. Their Albariño Tres Inviernos was equally captivating.

A Seara Castes Tintas 2024. This is the entry-level red from Iria Otero in Ribeiro (she also makes wine in Rías Baixas). A blend of Caíño Longo, Caíño Tinto, Brancellao, Sousón and other local grapes from vineyards in the Avia Valley, destemmed and fermented in concrete, old-school style. Floral, juicy and expressive.

Uno Mission 2024. This red is made by Californian Zach Elfman, based near Chantada in Ribeira Sacra, though working outside the DO. Just 500 bottles of Mencía blended with small amounts of Garnacha Tintorera and white grapes from a 50-year-old terrace plot in Amandi. Fresh, bright and dangerously drinkable.

Banzao Paraje Almorelle 2022. A deep, elegant Mencía from a south-facing old vineyard at 700 metres in San Pedro de Olleros, within the Ancares Biosphere Reserve. The project, part of DO Bierzo, was founded by Silvia Marrao, now joined by her partner.

Meridiano Perdido Palma Cortada. The first biologically aged wine from this Jerez producer, previously focused on the region’s exciting new range of vinos de pasto. Aged six years statically in large casks, it shows notes of esparto, sea spray and almonds, hinting at an amontillado profile. A true delight.

Tardatio Blanc de Noirs 2021. A Malvasía Rosada vinified as a white by Jordi Raventós in Penedès, under his Clos dels Guarans label. Working with Mediterranean varieties like Malvasía de Sitges, Xarel·lo Vermell, Vinyater and Llimonera, he crafts a floral, vibrant wine with remarkable acidity —the plants were originally sourced from the Canary Islands.