Overview

Established in 1984, it was one of the first Registered Designation of Origin Wineries. Bouza do Rei has helped drive the process for the creation and consolidation of the Rías Baixas Registered Designation of Origin.

Bouza do Rei is situated in Ribadumía in the heart of the Salnés valley, between the estuaries of Arousa and Pontevedra, the largest coastal plain in Galicia.

This winery has always abided by criteria of maximum quality for the entire production process, without losing sight of our origins.

Surroundings

It is one of the most fertile areas of land, and is considered to be a historical sub-region of Albariño, presenting one of the flattest orographies. In fact, the vines are normally grown on small hills which rarely reach higher than 100 metres above sea level.

The terrains of the Rías Baixas wines are under the influence of the Atlantic climate: in autumn and winter they normally receive warm fronts from the tropics, which usually result in heavy rains, with yearly averages of around 1300 mm and mild temperatures.

Spring comes early and is free from frost. The summers are dry, though they are normally mild due to the proximity of the sea and the protective influence of surrounding mountains. Generally speaking, the soil has a high level of granite and is relatively sandy, rich in organic material, slightly acidic, permeable and deep (except on the hills), thus favouring the cultivation of grapes with a pleasant flavour.

History

The history of the winery has been a continuous process of growth in all regards. Over the years the winery has undergone a series of successive expansions until reaching its present size:

• Their own, controlled plantations have gradually increased from an initial 20 hectares to the current figure of 100 hectares.

• In 1984 the harvest gave some 40,000 litres of wine, whereas we now produce some 900,000 litres.

• From the local, provincial marketing of our first wines to the current situation, where their winery now exports to more than twelve different countries.

Vineyards and grapes

Their winery only produces Albariño wine (even though the regulatory council does permit the use of other varieties of grape).

The outstanding grape used in the Rías Baixas Registered Designation of Origin is Albariño, which is exceptional in terms of its sugar production (potentially reaching 13º alcohol) and its richness of numerous aromatic elements and taste, thus giving the wines a high degree of refinement and elegance.

The vines are grown in vineyards, supported on granite posts made by hewers. This is done in order to separate the stocks from the ground, thus protecting them from humidity and excessive vegetation. Cultivation of the vines in vineyards also favours their exposure to the sun and facilitates wine harvesting tasks and maintenance.

Installations and processing

The elaboration of a good wine starts with the raw material: the Albariño grape. Their Quality Control process begins with the exhaustive monitoring of the vines and the techniques used to grow these. Bouza do Rei Winery extracts its wine harvest from the best land in Salnés, with vineyards which are more than twenty years old.

Midway through September, depending on the ripeness of the grapes, we start the grape harvest, adhering to our objective of maximum quality from harvesting to the entry of the grapes in the winery.

Once there, They remove the stems. This procedure results in a series of benefits: on the one hand, it reduces astringency and increases the elegance of the wine; on the other, it results in a noteworthy improvement in the marc distillations. We then perform a gentle pressing. As the grape juice is obtained it is placed in settling tanks, where the unfermented grape juice is left to settle for the time required for the decantation of all impurities. Once it has been decanted the grape juice is fermented for a 3 week period in temperature-controlled, stainless-steel tanks.

Then, the wine is filtered in a series of different stages. Prior to bottling, the wine is subject to microbiological filtering. Once the wine has been bottled, the bottles are stored in accordance with a series of strict regulations for the ideal conservation of the wine. To achieve this, Their cellar is totally insulated and the product awaits its final journey in the best possible conditions.