Located in the village of Vilamartín de Valdeorras (Ourense, Galicia), this family winery boasts a long-standing growing tradition. They own what are considered to be some of the oldest Godello vineyards in the appellation, particularly Pedrouzos which was planted in 1885, just after the phylloxera plague. Cuttings from this amazing plot (see photo) have been used for all the family’s new plantings –Valdesil in fact has its own nursery.
In 1990 the Prada Gayoso family started recovering some of the old plots that had been sold to other winegrowers or divided among family members. In fact, their barrel-fermented Godello Pezas da Portela was named after the many small plots found in the area which are called “pezas”. Apart from the vine heritage, lawyer and insolvency expert Francisco Prada Gayoso had experience in the wine business after his time as chairman of the board of directors of Olarra in Rioja. Valdesil is currently managed by his sons.
The name Valdesil refers to Galicia’s most wine-friendly river. The Sil crosses through three well-known wine regions: Bierzo in Castilla y León, Valdeorras and Ribeira Sacra. Schist soils are typical of Vilamartín (Valdeorras produces 90% of the world’s slate) and cover most of the family’s 20 hectares under vine. Some granitic soils can also be found in their plots.
The wines
Current production stands at 140,000 bottles. All white wines are 100% Godello. The range includes the young Montenovo (around €14 in Spain, 56,000 bottles); the flagship Valdesil Godello (€20, 45,000 bottles), which ages on its lees and is worth cellaring; the barrel fermented Pezas da Portela (€40, 8,500 bottles) and three single-vineyard wines. Whilst Pedrouzos (€135 in magnum bottles, 350 magnums) is made from the family’s oldest plot, there is a compelling contrast between the slate soils of Córgomo behind Asadoira (€65 , 1,000 bottles), and the granite tension of O Chao (€105, 650 bottles) in As Ermidas
The Maria Ardoña (Merenzao) grape variety is used to produce around 720 bottles of Valteiro (€35), a very original red wine.