Camino del Vino. Part 4 Valdeorras

Camino del vino Valdeorras: Walking the Camino is not only a religious, sportive or spiritual experience, it is also a good opportunity to get acquainted with Spain in terms of food and drinks. Merel has a passion for wine, is a member of a wine society and regularly writes about wine and her preferences. In Albergue Villares de Orbigo, Merel has put together the wine assortiment and this produces fantastic and very affordable wines that we serve to our guests and with which we try to distinguish ourselves.

When you walk the Camino Frances you pass through several wine regions. If you want to go well-informed about wine, read the articles that Merel has written and enjoy all the beauty that Spain and the Camino have to offer. So enjoy your camino del vino!

Part 4: Valdeorras

Valdeoras means valley of gold, the name the Romans gave to this area because they found gold here. After the Romans stopped doing this, they started planting vines. In the Middle Ages, production was taken over by the monastic order. After a period of decline, viticulture resumed.

The area thrives on the success of two varieties of grapes, the Godello white and Mencia red. The Godello grapes are small and grown closely packed in small bunches, they ripen early and like a dry environment.

In the early 1970s, the Godello grape was almost extinct, but it was saved through replanting. The influence of the Atlantic Ocean and the River Sil provides freshness and minerality. The wines are elegant and can be aged well in oak.