Located in the Salnés Valley, the heart of Albariño country in Galicia, this winery is part of the Zamora Company and enjoys stunning views over the Arousa estuary.
Mar de Frades has wholeheartedly embraced a marine theme, with its iconic blue Hock-style bottle becoming a standout marketing success. Its flagship Albariño, Mar de Frades (€17), features a thermosensitive label that reveals a galleon when the bottle is chilled to the appropriate serving temperature, a feature that has likely contributed to its pricing, slightly higher compared toother quality Albariños.
The name Mar de Frades, meaning “Sea of Friars” in Galician, refers to a historic spot in the Arousa estuary where pilgrims once disembarked from their maritime journey on their way to Santiago.
Grapes are all hand-harvested and the winery employs Ganimede fermenters with inverted cones in the inside to maximize the use the CO₂ generated during fermentation and allowing skin macerations while avoiding the risk of oxidation. Malolactic fermentation is generally avoided to preserve the typicity of the wines; when it is carried out, it is only partial. All these processes are overseen by technical director Paula Fandiño.
Single-vineyard and sparkling Albariño
The winery pioneered sparkling Albariño when the Rías Baixas Appellation introduced this category. The base wine for Mar de Frades Brut Nature (€20), made using the Champenoise method, blends two vintages and is aged on the lees in stainless steel tanks to maximise the variety’s character over the climatic year. Using the estate's own vineyards ensures that the grapes are harvested under optimum conditions: an alcohol potential of 10-11% vol. and 9 g/l of tartaric acid. The ageing period has been extended from nine months to 12-15 months.
Despite a price point higher than many longer-aged Cavas, Albariño enthusiasts have embraced it for its vibrant fruit-forward profile over any autolytic flavours, showcasing the group’s marketing prowess. Extended trials with lees contact of up to 60 months hint at the variety’s even greater ageing potential, delivering complexity while maintaining acidity as the backbone of the wine.
Recent additions to the range include single-vineyard and single-varietal whites. Mar de Frades' first single-vineyard Albariño, Finca Valiñas (10,000 bottles, €33), has been made since the 2004 vintage. Sourced from a pergola-trained vineyard next to the winery, on the southern slope of Mount Valiñas, only the oldest vines, planted in 1975, are used. Originally aged in oak, the wine has been aged entirely in stainless steel tanks since 2017, enhancing its freshness, definition, and saline finish.
Finca Monteveiga (€36) and Finca Lobeira (3,300 bottles, €32) are the latest releases. Produced since the 2016 vintage, Finca Monteveiga explores the lesser-known Ribeira do Ulla sub-region, the northernmost in Rías Baixas. There is less maritime influence, with morning fogs and cooler nights. The vineyard is located in Vedra (A Coruña), surrounded by woods and meadows, on soils dominated by schist in contrast with Salnés' granitic soils. Like the other single-vineyard whites, it is aged on the lees for two years in stainless steel tanks. The wine has considerable fruit weight on the nose and a sharp mouthfeel.
Finca Lobeira blends 5% Caíño, Loureiro and Godello with Albariño. The grapes come from a 24-year-old vineyard protected by a pine forest, which allows the grapes to ripen in the shade, resulting in a slightly different aromatic profile, more citrus and herbal, although the lees do a good job of enveloping the acidity on the palate.
In the 2016 vintage, Mar de Frades released a single-varietal Godello (€23) made with grapes from the Salnés Valley. Fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks for eight months, with an additional two months in oak, the wine showcases the valley’s distinct saline notes.
Beyond Mar de Frades, Zamora Company owns Ramón Bilbao in Rioja, Ramón Bilbao Rueda, and Cruz de Alba.