If You Love Seafood, This Coastal Spanish Wine Region Should Be on Your Radar

What’s special about Rías Baixas?

Located in Galicia, on the north-west tip of Spain, the proximity of Rías Baixas to the Atlantic means it sees high rainfall and cool temperatures. Its deeply verdant landscapes and wild, craggy coastline is a marked contrast to the parched plains and sun-drenched beaches found further south. It's also one of Spain’s most important fishing areas: historically, the men would go out to sea while the woman stayed ashore to tend grapes and make wine. Still today, most of the winemakers here are women – the most widely planted grape is albariño, known for being reliably good drinking.

Main grapes

White: albariño, treixadura, loureiro, caíño blanco, torrontés, godello
Red: sousón, espadeiro, caíño tinto, loureira tinta, mencía, brancellao, pedral

Perfect pairings: seafood here is super-fresh, and pairs brilliantly with albariño. Oysters, mussels, clams, crabs, lobsters and goose barnacles are the best local matches, but it’s a very versatile wine that suits many other light, fresh dishes. Serve the reds slightly chilled with more robust flavours – try paprika-spiked octopus, chorizo or grilled veg – or a simple tomato-based pasta sauce.

Rías Baixas wine-making

Young albariño is fresh and zesty, with notes of white peaches, green apples and orange blossom. Some are kept on their lees (lias) after fermentation, which creates some texture and imparts more tropical notes; the best are left to age for many years, during which they develop more complexity and structure. But, all carry a distinctive saline flavour thanks to the proximity of the sea. The vines are trained onto high pergolas called parras to maximise airflow and prevent the damaging mildews that thrive in the humid climate. Most grapes come from tiny plots owned by the thousands of growers who sell their crops to the winemakers and, although organic production is impossible here because of the climate, most growers keep fungicide spraying to a minimum and work hard to maintain rich biodiversity and soil health. Other local grapes also make fantastic white wines, and there’s a welcome return of interest in traditional red grapes, too.

Want to stay over?

Quinta de San Amaro

Set among picturesque vineyards in the heart of the Salnés Valley – and only 10 minutes from spectacular beaches – this historic house with outbuildings has been beautifully restored, offering 14 dreamy rooms, a small pool, spa treatments and plenty of space for relaxing. There’s a very good on-site restaurant, too. Or, head to O Grove on the coast, where Beiramar and D’Berto come highly recommended – there are also several wineries nearby that offer tastings. quintadesanamaro.com

Best Rías Baixas wine to buy 2026

Extra Special Albariño

Available from Asda (£11)

Grapes in Rías Baixas are expensive to produce – all harvesting must be done by hand, and yields are low while land prices are high, so quality wines at a budget-friendly price can be hard to find. This bottle, produced by Bodegas Pazo Cilleiro, ticks all the boxes of what we know and love about albariño, while being great value for money. Expect ripe pear, citrus and peachy fruit shot through with a bright, appetising acidity.

Terras Gauda O Rosal 2024

Available from Les Caves de Pyrene (£22.47)

Found in the O Rosal sub-region on the banks of the Miño River bordering Spain and Portugal, Terras Gauda is unusual in that it sources most of its grapes from its own vineyards and specialises in the rare caíño blanco grape variety. Here, this is blended with albariño and loureiro grapes to create an aromatic, complex wine with seductive layers of lemon curd, pink grapefruit, cantaloupe melon, jasmine and bay, plus a briny flourish.

Bodegas Attis Xión Cuvée Tinto

Available from Laithwaites (£22)

Established in 2013 by brothers Robustiano and Baldomero Fariña – whose family history contains generations of local fishermen and vine growers – Attis is one of Rias Baixas’s most exciting and pioneering producers, championing native red varieties that are otherwise in danger of extinction. This blend of pedral, sousón and espadeiro is juicy and refreshing, with red berries, astringent herbs, a whisper of spice and minerality.